A feeling of excitement filled the air as the boys team huddled in a circle waiting to hear the result of the Division III New England Championship meet held in March. The deep voice over the microphone sounded. “And…. now it is time to name our New England DIII Champions. In first place, Canterbury School!” The crowd went wild; smiles, happy tears, hugs – the victory team jumped in the pool. It was pure happiness, pure pride, all in one unforgettable, amazing moment.
While most Saints were packing up for spring break, our swimmers headed to Deerfield MA to spend the night at a hotel and wake up at 6 a.m. for the New England Division III Swimming Championship Meet. The swim teams were coached by Coach Garner, with co-coaches Mr. Bush and Ms. Root. The teams were also led by their captains, Sarah Buckingham and Mary-Grace Cordtz, and Matt Howard, Conner Murphy, and Nikhil Trivedi.
On Saturday morning, March 4th, the Canterbury Swim Team headed to Deerfield Academy. The first part of the meet began at 9 a.m. and this was the preliminaries. This is where the teams compete for the top 15 seats in each individual event of the meet.
After the morning meet ended, there was a three-hour break until the finals meet. Swimmers in the top 15 places for each event compete in both the finals and in relays. Therefore, every single one of our swimmers that came to the New England DIII Meet was competitively swimming from warm-up at 8 a.m. until the finals meet ended, around 9 p.m.
It was a long day, but an exceptionally successful one for the Saints. Overall, Canterbury Boys finished first out of 11 teams, and Canterbury Girls finished fourth out of 12 teams. The team, as a whole, won nine of the 24 events that day: Boys – nine events, and the Girls two.
The relay team of Howard, Jack Bednar, Spencer McLean, and Will Ondrey won both the Boys’ 200 and 400 Freestyle Relays in school record time. The Boys 400 Freestyle Relay, won by our Saints, was also a new DIII New England record.
Additional record holders include Matt Howard, who won the Boys’ 200 and 500 Freestyle, both in school record time; Spencer McLean, who won the 200 IM (school record) and finished second in the 100 Fly (another school record). Bella Jimenez won the Girl’s 100 Freestyle in school record time, and the Girl’s 400 Freestyle Relay set a new school record.
Other athletes with honorable victories included Will Ondrey, who won both the Boys’ 50 and 100 Freestyle, both times just shy of the school record (less than .2 in the 100 Freestyle); Jack Bednar, who placed third in the 100 Freestyle and pulled in at second in the 100 Breast (just .2 off the school record his teammate McLean had re-set a week earlier).
“Both teams performed to their full potential,” said Coach Garner. “I think the boys knew that they were capable of winning, but also knew they had to work for it. Avon [Farms Academy] sort of came out of nowhere, and the boys had to step up and race and they really did, from first year swimmers like Ben Toussaint all the way up to seniors Conner, Matt and Nikhil. And I think it was equally impressive for the Girls, who ended up fourth. Because their numbers were so small, they needed every point. It was really on every single swimmer to get up and race,” she continued. “It was an added bonus that the Girls had an event winner, Bella, the relay record, and placing third in the 200 relay.”
Canterbury’s divers also closed off a successful season in the New England DIII Competition. Jess Stolfi took first place and Emily Keating took third. These are huge victories for both the Boys and Girls swim teams and divers.
Meanwhile, Conner Murphy won the prestigious Babcock Award, an award that the coaches of all participating teams vote on. The award is given not only to a talented athlete, but to an athlete who demonstrates good character, is always a positive influence on the team, and who contributes to the community.
“It is given to someone who certainly has made a difference in swimming, but also has made a difference as a person as well,” said Coach Garner.
The New Englands was a proud accomplishment for this year’s swimmers. “I was so proud to be on this team for three years,” said Captain Matt Howard.
Girl’s Captain Sarah Buckingham added, “New Englands is a special time. There is always a great feeling in the air. I’ve never been so proud of a group of girls before. It was a great way to end my swimming career at Canterbury.”
While both seniors are sad to be leaving Canterbury, their feelings sum up the Canterbury pride that was felt that day. Being a part of that kind of school spirit is an unforgettable experience that these Saints will cherish in their hearts forever.
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