As the Panthers move into spring sports, the swim team looks to dive into competition. Led by senior captains Nicholas Otumura, Brandon Shin, Akhil Venuturupali and Miki Chan, the team has been working hard to maintain their successful momentum from last year into this season.
Although the Panthers lost key record-setting swimmers to graduation, such as Oliver Mann, Justin Lee and Julia Pisano, they look to continue their streak of winning Prep League Boys’ Swimming for the sixth year in a row. Already on a promising trajectory, the team secured their first victory against Rosemead High school on Tuesday, March 17, with an overwhelming score of 94-30. Much of their athletic domination during this meet was a reflection of the team’s young talent.
Specifically, Venutrupalli praised the work ethic of freshman Maynard Lee, a crucial addition to the boys’ swim team: “Maynard has a lot of potential as a young swimmer. He’s a good guy and can go really fast.” Although new to Poly’s team, he has already asserted his dominance in the 200 Y individual medley with 2:23:28 minutes, 100 Y breaststroke 1:11:54 minutes, and 100 Y freestyle with 57:55 seconds.
Head Coach Missy McCreary noted, “It’s hard when you lose good athletes, but I think it paves the way for kids who have swam with those boys to step up and take on new goals. They are now the ones to compete at the highest level.”
Additionally, several returning members of the boys’ swim team, including Nicholas Otumura, Akhil Venutrupalli, Remick Techentin, Brandon Shin, and Kalyx Lara, were selected to First Team All-Prep League last season. The return of these all-league relay races will be crucial when the Panthers face Prep League competition this season.
Otumura noted about his teammate Shin, “Brandon Shin is our best swimmer. He has ruthless dedication to set him apart from the competition, and he is so quick.”
The girls’ swim team, led by Chan, strives to crush the competition at Prep League prelims on Thursday, April 23rd. With the official season already underway, the team is focused on sharpening their technique and building momentum as the postseason begins to approach.
One rising star to watch is sophomore Anna Pisano, a key contributor to the team’s success because of her dedication. Pisano, a freestyler, has good marks in the 50 m freestyle with 26.03 seconds and the 100 m freestyle with 56.01 seconds. With a smaller team, Pisano helps her team push through by doing as much as she can by participating in several relays.
She shares, “Other schools have big teams and are fast, but we know that we are fast too. We are not as big, but we can still put up a good fight.”
For both squads, nearly the entirety of the coaching staff is new to Poly this season, due to the departure of previous leadership. The Panthers are now led by Head Coach Missy, Coach Aaron, Coach Martina, and Coach Terry this season, marking a new chapter for Poly’s swim program. With new talent and mentorship shaping the season ahead, Poly’s swim team is certainly not a force that should be underestimated.
