Swimming teams cap successful 2019 season

New England champions crowned, records broken as boys and girls swimming complete season at Eastern States and Interschols. 

By
Brian Muldoon
March 5, 2019
Phillips Exeter Academy Swimming Andrew Benson

The Exeter boys and girls swim programs wrapped up their season in impressive fashion. After a stellar performance at Eastern States two weeks ago, Big Red capped the 2019 campaign with a strong effort at Interschols this past weekend. The boys team captured a third-place finish at Interschols while the girls claimed seventh overall. Both saw plenty of school records fall.

Andrew Benson ’20 continued his impressive career in the pool as he added two more New England titles to his resume this weekend. Benson touched the wall first in the 100 freestyle with a time of 44.39 before setting a New England record in the 100 breast stroke, cruising in at 55.25. Benson’s success was an extension of his trip to Pennsylvania for Eastern States where he claimed a second-place finish and new school record in the 100 freestyle and a third-place finish in the 50 freestyle.

Classmate Charlie Venci ’20 claimed a New England title of his own at Interschols and set a new school record in the 100 backstroke with a crisp time of 50.73. Venci also swam to a third-place finish in the 200 individual medley, touching at 1:52.18.

Venci and Benson teamed up with Jared Zhang ’19 and Peter Tuchler ‘19 for a pair of successful relays as they claimed second-place in the 200 medley relay and third-place in the 200 freestyle relay. A top finish has been the norm for this group as they also placed third in the 200 medley relay and seventh in the 400 freestyle relay at Eastern States.

On the girls side it was Sydney Kang ’22 making waves and leading the way for Big Red. Kang enjoyed a successful trip to Eastern States where she set a new school record and claimed second place in the 50 freestyle with a time of 23.68. That record would not stand for long, however, as Kang shaved .04 seconds off that time this weekend to race to another second-place finish for Big Red. Kang grabbed another school record at Interschols, swimming to a time of 2:05.27 in the 200 individual medley to capture a second-place finish.

Kang also helped guide the relay team of Liz Williams ’19, Tina Wang ’19, Isabelle Wise ’19 to a second-place finish in the 200 freestyle at Interschols and the team of Williams, Wang, and Ginny Vazquez-Azpiri ’22 to a third-place finish in the 400 freestyle.