On March 18, the Bromfield School held its annual swim team awards banquet for both the varsity and junior varsity teams. It was another outstanding season for the program, which is a combined coed team that continues to grow in participation, now at 25 varsity and 24 junior varsity swimmers.
The season begins the Monday after Thanksgiving and traditionally starts with the Swim Against Hunger, which raises more than $1,000 each year for the Worcester County Food Bank.
The team swims in one of the most competitive leagues in Central Massachusetts and this year league coaches unanimously voted Bromfield to receive the Mid Wach League Team Sportsmanship Award.
More than half of the varsity team members are swim teacher aids, certified life guards, and water safety instructors at area pools and the Harvard town beach. Four members are currently, or are becoming, certified EMTs. Most former team members have stayed in the water after high school, swimming for their college teams, playing water polo, competing in triathlons and synchronized swimming, and teaching swimming.
This season, 13 school records were broken.
For the girls, all three girls relay teams set new records—200 medley, 200 free and 400 free. Individually, Katherine O’Shea broke six school records, in the 50, 100, 200 and 500 freestyle, 200 IM, and 100 backstroke. In diving, Kelly Sherman is being considered as an All American. She broke the 6- and 11-meter diving records and was named a Worcester Telegram & Gazette Super Team All Star for 2011.
For the boys, Eric Hazoury broke the 200 IM school record and Taylor LeBlanc broke the 100 breast-stroke record. Mid Wach League All Stars were Taylor LeBlanc, Heidi Nocka, Katherine O’Shea, Kelly Sherman, and Clara Wang.
At the league meet held at Tantasqua High School, the girls placed fourth, and boys placed third, for a combined finish of fourth among 10 teams in the league. At the sectional meet at MIT, the girls placed ninth—Bromfield’s highest finish ever—with almost everyone who swam contributing points. Bromfield swimmers qualifying for the state meet at Harvard University on Feb. 19 were Taylor LeBlanc, 100 breast stroke; Heidi Nocka, 100 and 200 freestyle; Katherine O’Shea, 50 free and 100 backstroke; Kelly Sherman, diving; Clara Wang, 50 free and 100 free. All three girls relay teams qualified as well. Those teams include Allison Codner, Heidi Nocka, Katherine O’Shea, Kaya Phillips, Fallon Schofield, Kelly Sherman, Elizabeth Smetana, and Clara Wang. The girls 400 free relay team placed 11th, the first time a Bromfield relay team has placed at the state meet.
For the past six years, coaches Denise Hazoury, Julie Nocka, and Alex Rivard have established a tradition of hard work, performance excellence, and continual improvement for each Bromfield swimmer, at all levels. The energetic response from the swimmers, in practice and at the meets, has not disappointed them over those years. The school records and state-level meet results continue to improve, while the number of swimmers coming out each year increases.
