On Saturday, March 11, the boys state swim and dive team made Northview history after placing fifth in the Division II State Championship while breaking a total of eight records, several of which branded the record board for nearly 50 years.
This year, the state team had a total of nine swimmers and two divers, the largest group seen in recent years. After winning the OK White Conference meet, the boys headed into the state meet cautiously optimistic.
“I was very happy, but I was also disappointed because all season we were trying to get fourth place to be able to get a trophy,” junior Caleb Howe said. “When you think about it, fifth is still amazing out of all 30 plus teams there, so I was really proud of everyone who participated, and I am proud of the people who came and supported.”
The eight record-breakers included: Howe, senior and exchange student Etienne Pizzo, and sophomores Ben Duffy and Liam Sneller for the 400 free relay; Duffy, Howe and seniors Dakota Livezey and Alex Richardson for the 200 medley relay; Richardson for the 100 breaststroke and 200 IM; Sneller for both the 500 and 200 freestyle; and lastly Howe for the 100 and 50 freestyle. Notably, Nic Gallatin wracked up 363 points with 11 dives, placing 12 in the state.
Since the late 1970s, two major names have stamped the swim record board: John and Robert Newton. The brothers managed to make themselves Northview legends.
Assistant principal Brent Dickerson attended Northview from preschool until he graduated in 1989. During his time in the aquatic center, Dickerson got used to the familiar names adorning the board.
“When I was little, the Newtons were all over the record board,” Dickerson said. “There were two, the Newton brothers. I can remember that vividly as a little guy going into our old pool at the time just doing swim lessons, looking up and seeing all of the Newtons up there.”
Four of the ‘Newton records’ have been cemented into that record list until just this year. During the state meet, Howe took down John Newton’s longstanding 50 and 100 freestyle titles. The remaining two, Robert Newton’s 200 and 500 free, were beaten by Sneller during the regular season, but he improved upon his own times at the state meet.
“I tried to [beat] that for like a year, almost two at that point, and I’m really happy to finally gotten it,” Sneller said.
Howe has a bit of sentimentality around outdoing the near-50 year records. His two uncles and his dad, history teacher Matthew Howe, swam for Northview in the ‘90s, and Matthew Howe currently coaches the sport at the middle school level.
“I was talking to my dad about [the records], and he was like those are the records that for 50 years everybody has been seeing, and everyones been wanting to beat,” Howe said. “To get a sense of I was the one to do it [is] a very individual and special thing that I’m very proud about.”
Richardson is relieved to see the records fall during his last year.
“I’m really glad we could get those older records off,” Richardson said. “That just shows that we’re faster now than [they] were then. That record being held for that long, around [48] years, shows that was a really, really fast record for Northview.”
Not only were those records impressive for Northview, they were fast for the world at the time. John Newton swam at the University of Tennessee and went on to qualify for the 1980 Olympics–though he didn’t compete as the US boycotted that year’s Games.
“It was the two oldest records on the board, so I felt really happy that I got it,” Howe said. “I always hoped I would get a record throughout my high school season, but I wasn’t really looking at those two … I was really surprised that I got it.”
As for the state of the boys swim and dive program, it seems to be improving each season.
“I knew that last year we had one of our top finishes ever, and our goal this year was to [do] even better,” Richardson said. “I think we achieved that by far.”
Dickerson hopes to see the team continue to shred through old records and bring home a state title.
“I think winning can be contagious,” Dickerson said. “You start to have success breed success, and then [athletes] start feeling that and work really really hard, and now they’re going to work even harder. They’ve had a little bit of success, and hopefully next year they come back and they’re on top of the podium.”
