On January 10, the boys varsity swim and dive team faced Zeeland West High School. As senior Jack Botsford opened the meet by playing the National Anthem on his guitar, his teammates were all preparing for the difficult meet ahead of them.
Zeeland High School came into the meet ranked fourth for Division I. Northview is currently ranked sixth in Division II and has not historically won many meets against Zeeland.
By the end of the night, Northview was able to secure the win with 101 points to Zeeland’s 85.
A major point contribution was the 100 yard freestyle race, as the top three were all Wildcats. Senior Alex Richardson took first, fellow senior and French exchange student Etienne Pizzo secured second, and third place was locked in by sophomore Alex Boynton.
Northview also came in first for the 200 yard individual medley, swam by Richardson, and 50 yard freestyle, led by junior Caleb Howe.
Going into the meet, Richardson did not expect to win against the powerhouse school but was proud of the accomplishment.
“We expected it to be a very close meet ‘til the last event, so I was very surprised we won by how much we did,” Richardson said. “It was good to know that I could score points for the team and that those points helped bring home the victory.”
The dive team also majorly contributed to the success of the team. Senior Nic Gallatin placed first, and junior Vincent Williams came in second.
Gallatin felt accomplished after the meet.
“Not only did it show my friends and family that my hard work was paying off, it showed my team,” Gallatin said. “I think teamwork was the most important part of it, everyone was hyping each other up, and the energy that was created paid off big time. I’m definitely excited to see how the rest of the season will play out.”
The next meet is January 17 against Forest Hills Central where the team hopes to continue their undefeated streak.
