Since the winter season has officially came to an end, let’s look back at the OP Swim team and their season.
Here are some of Coach Bradley’s thoughts on the season and the future of OP Swim. He was asked:
What was your overall feeling about how the season went?
His response was “We had a terrific season!” Furthermore, he went on to talk about the team highlights, including 3rd in the UCC and 3rd again at the NJ Preps (These are the best results since he took over the program in 2019), the team qualifying for the postseason playoffs in Non-Public North, all 3 of the relays consisting of Charlie Kline, Paul Knecht, Henry Crowther & Jonathan Peterson qualified for the Meet of Champions, Henry Crowther & Paul Knecht qualified individually in the 100 Free and 100 Fly at the Meet of Champions, and that 5 new school records were set.
What was the team’s largest accomplishment and disappointment?
Coach Bradley, first, mentioned the team’s amazing spirit stating “In addition to our athletic prowess, we support each other as a team, recite our team prayer together before each meet, cheer for each other, go to preseason Mass together.” Although with this achievement, he also notes that everyone improved from last year which is a major accomplishment. Shifting to the disappointments of the season, he talked about not beating Summit, Westfield and Delbarton. However, he mentioned that there is a silver lining in this disappointment. He brings up the point that “they are top swim programs in NJ and all swam their strongest lineups against us.” This shows the team’s improvement over the years, demonstrating that OP Swim can compete with the best teams in the state.
Did the season reach your expectations?
Without any hesitation, Coach Bradley said “YES, we set a few team goals and achieved them. As well as Henry, Charlie, Paul & JP setting team records and swimming in the MOCs!”
Lastly, he was asked, “How do you think the team will be next year?”
His response was “Stiil, Strong! While we are graduating a very talented Senior class, we will have strong returning Juniors and Sophomores. We expect Cathal Hislop, Luke Garder, Ben Fenandoe, Ronan Hamon, Ian Kehoe, Sebastion Sternberg, Max Fleischer, Dylan Guilcapi, Will Kulikwoski, Martin Regalado, Paul Healey, Brice Spreeman, & Jonathan Peterson to continue to get faster and lead us to a strong season in 25-26!” The level of optimism that the coach has for OP Swim is a testament to the potential the team has in the next season.
