Oratory Swimming Preview For Upcoming Season

Last season was a great success for OP Swim. Oratory finished with a record of 6-2 with one of the meets being canceled. At counties, they had finished in 3rd place which is very respectable considering Westfield and Scotch Plains compete as well. At the Prep championships, OP Swim finished 4th place, again a very respectable finish considering the teams they are competing against. These results were a big improvement from the previous year, and a lot of the success could be attributed to the number of freshmen who joined the team. This resulted in more depth being added, in which it led to more points and wins. This year, the team has lost some key seniors such as Dylan Zwally and Will Foucher, but with the continued growth and improvement of the swimmers already on the team, and even more new freshmen joining, expectations are high. It is known that the best place for a team to be is when expectations are high, in which OP Swim lives off that motto each practice. The teams goal is to be 7-2 while getting at least 3rd at counties, behind Summit and Westfield, and at least 3rd at preps. Most of the meets, last year, were dominated by the Rams, but had a close victory over Governor Livingston in which they hope to win that meet again this year. This victory will only occur with the help of the recruits to the team, and great depth, with 3rd, 4th, and 5th places from Oratory’s swimmers. Along with these goals, Coach Bradley and Coach Kate have some others that are just as important. Their other goals include, “fielding 3 relay teams in all meets, fielding 3 swimmers per event, having robust morning practice attendance 4/5 practices per week, and fostering friendships beyond the pool and support each other in school.” OP Swim hopes to not only have a successful season at meets but also wants every swimmer to create new friendships outside of the swimming world. Overall, this year’s swim team has the potential to have one of the best seasons in OP Swimming History.