DAJVST showed up in full force at the Nick Whyte Invitational this Saturday! Hosted by Eaglebrook and featuring MacDuffie and Bement, the meet was a high-energy showcase of our team’s hard work this season. Our JV swimmers stepped up to a packed schedule of events including the 50 Fly, 50 Back, 50 Breast, 50 Free, and the 100 IM. While swimmers chose their own events, many of our athletes were feeling particularly bold and elected to swim the full pentathlon, navigating new strokes and late-meet fatigue with incredible spirit and poise. We put forward a fabulous collection of swims with a staggering 19 personal bests across the team. Many of our swimmers battled the 100 IM for the first time; Saadia Ouermi, Emily Menzies, and JP Penman tackled the event with grit and strength despite feeling nervous about it going into the race. Avery Fillio had stellar technique in the 100 IM and 50 fly, wowing us coaches with her long, powerful underwaters. We were also thrilled to see the progress on the blocks, as JP and Matthew Susanto mastered their dives this season and jumped off successfully during their races. Special recognition goes to the “Pentathlon Stars”—Syd Boswell, Melody Zhao, Julie Yan, Avery, Steve Kilroy, Jack Schwarting, and Matthew—who all successfully completed all five events for DA! As the meet wrapped up, the positivity was palpable. Olivia Minn led the charge from the deck, sitting at the end of the pool to cheer on her teammates until the very last splash. To celebrate a job well done, the team ended the day with a well-deserved pizza party. This has been a fabulous season defined by monumental improvements, incredible positivity, and so much love and support between teammates. We couldn’t be prouder of how this group represented Deerfield.
