Wayland stays atop Div. 2 boys’ swimming and diving with title victory

CAMBRIDGE — Wayland’s boys swimming and diving crew gained the MIAA Division 2 state title for the second yr in a row on the Zesiger Sports and Fitness Center on the MIT campus on Sunday.

The Warriors completed the meet with a crew rating of 291 factors, edging out Dual County League rival Weston, which completed with 263 factors.

“I’m just elated right now,” Wayland coach Mike Foley stated. “We graduated a lot of seniors last year and a lot of people wrote us off, predicting we wouldn’t be as good. This year’s seniors didn’t though. They really rallied these troops, brought the underclassmen along, and worked harder to get here. We had a lot of young guys who swam today who didn’t last year in this spot, but really contributed. We have our top line guys but a lot of depth which is extremely important.”

The Warriors gained a number of occasions, together with 200-yard particular person medley, gained by Kevin Jia (1:56.53), the 50-yard freestyle gained by Luke Kroncke (21.69), the 100-yard freestyle additionally gained by Kroncke (47.61) and the 400-yard relay (3:16.85). Wayland additionally received high 4 finishes within the 200-yard medley relay and the 100-yard breaststroke.

Both Wayland and Weston have dominated the Div. 2 scene traditionally, with each of them combining for the final 14 state titles. Foley was a star at Weston and was coached by his father, Peter. Flash ahead to in the present day, and Foley is teaching his son Ryan, who helped contribute to that win. Three generations of Foleys are actually cemented amongst among the finest swimming household dynasties the state has ever seen.

“My dad was my coach back in the day at Weston, and now we have that big rivalry with my alma mater, but we all get along and it’s just great to experience another state title with my dad being here and Ryan as well,” Foley stated. “Last year my older son was on that championship team, Ryan was too but he didn’t score any points in the title, but this year he did and helped us out. It’s just awesome.”

The youthful Foley, who contributed 4 factors from his placement within the 100 backstroke, additionally mirrored on the household lineage and the way his position has expanded with this system.

“We have a lot of excitement going on here; there is a conga line going behind me right now,” Ryan Foley stated after his crew claimed the title. “It’s just a great feeling. It’s a different feeling this year now that I was able to contribute, and it’s something to build off. I know that my family has done this before, and they have experienced the same hardships and milestones, so it’s great to have that type of support around me.”