For the Central Bucks West swim team, it’s all about the day-to-day effort.
That effort is producing the right results.
Last Thursday, CB West played host to Pennridge in a Suburban One League Colonial Division double dual meet at Central Bucks South. The Bucks won the boys meet 106-72 and the girls by a 102-78 score.
The CB West boys had a double winner in Jimin Chung, who won both the 200-yard freestyle in 1:51.18 and 100 backstroke (55.48).
Blaise Hofmann won the 200 individual medley (1:57.53), Kade Cimakasky took first in the 50 freestyle (23.54), Gavin Pacitti won diving (203.90 points), Derek Feldman touched first in the 100 butterfly (54.55), Austin Wakefield won the 100 freestyle (49.45) and Darren Sung won the 100 breaststroke (1:06.14) to round out the individual victories for the Bucks.
CB West also took all three relays. Feldman, Max McCloskey, Wakefield and Cimakasky teamed up to win the 200 medley relay (1:42.80), Nate Liang, Elijah Barker, Feldman and Hofmann touched first in the 200 freestyle relay (1:32.84) and Chung, Ely Moldavsky, Max Bekes and Hofmann ended the meet with a flourish, just touching out the Rams in the 400 freestyle relay by .01 with their time of 3:33.14.
“This was a really fun meet, and it was great to swim against them,” said Hofmann, a sophomore who cranked out a blistering 46.68 as the anchor to come from behind and win the 400 free relay. “The 400 was super fun. I saw him (Timothy Hong, the anchor of the Pennridge relay) and he was already on the other side of the pool when I jumped in, but I just wanted it so bad.
“I had really good races and for a regular dual meet in the middle of the season, that’s a great day.
“Last year, I just saw how it all worked but this year I understand more and I know what I’m working for. I swam the 100 back and 50 free at districts last year and the relays. Backstroke is my main event, I’m going to stick with that and see what I can do, but I think I might switch it up for my second event, maybe do the 200 IM. I was really happy with the time I did in that event at this meet, so that’s a definite possibility.”
For the CB West girls, Marley Swain won the 200 freestyle (2:01.32) and 500 freestyle (5:26.05), Maddy Majewski took first in the 100 butterfly (1:01.72) and 100 backstroke (1:02.39) and Lina Hofmann took first in the 100 breaststroke (1:09.78).
The Bucks opened the meet with a victory in the 200 medley relay by Sydney Petty, Hofmann, Majewski and Swain (1:54.97), while Liv Shaffer, Sarah Shapiro, Jillian Boyle and Madeline Cutting teamed up to win the 200 freestyle relay (1:51.20) and Swain, Petty, Majewski and Hofmann triumphed in the 400 freestyle relay (3:52.48).
“This is my second year with the team and last year my experience with this team was awesome,” said Majewski, a sophomore. “It’s been amazing to come back this year and know what’s going on and be more prepared mentally.
“This was a good win for us. At this point in the season, it’s important for us to swim good races. That’s been the main priority for me, just focusing on races and the little things to see what’s working and what’s not working for me and less focused on my times. The times will come later.
“My goal is to swim two events at districts this year. Last year I just did the 100 fly, hopefully make the 100 back as well this year and hopefully we’ll get a second relay there this year, too.
“Getting there last year was a good experience for me. I hadn’t been to a meet like that before where the environment was so intense. I will definitely be better prepared this year.
“I think our team is really strong this year, probably stronger than it was last year. The freshmen that came in are really talented and they’ve mixed in well with everyone. We’ve just got a lot more depth than we had last year and it’s really exciting.
“It’s been so much fun this year with this team and it’s going really well so I’m really excited for the end.”
CB West is back in action on Friday, traveling to Central Bucks East for an SOL Colonial double dual meet at 6 p.m.
For the Pennridge girls, Ally Ricciardi won both the 50 freestyle (25.55) and 100 freestyle (55.80), Emily Myers won the 200 individual medley (2:21.02) and Clara Barron finished first in diving (181.50 points).
“We just swam against North Penn, so this was a nice meet for us,” said Myers, a senior who also plays water polo and is the oboist in the symphonic band. “We try to focus on our individual races and doing our best. We switched up some events in this meet and I like doing that. I swam the 200 free, which is something I don’t normally do and will probably never do again. My main event is 100 breaststroke and I’ll usually swim the IM or the 500. Doing something else breaks up the monotony.
“We’re really trying to make it to districts and states in as many events as possible this year. We made it last year in the medley and we’re trying to get back to where we were last year. I’d really like to make it to states in the 100 breast; I was just barely on the edge and didn’t get to go last year but I got that experience last year.”
The lone winner for the Pennridge boys was Hong, a freshman who took the 500 freestyle (5:14.05).
“My first year on the team has been a good one,” he said. “Everyone on the team has been pushing me to go faster.
“I don’t usually swim the 500 but it was a lot of fun racing with my teammate Ethan (Whitehurst) and I think it’s important to mix it up. My regular events are the 200 IM and the 100 breaststroke.”
Hong is the younger brother of former Pennridge standout Joseph Hong, now swimming at Virginia Tech.
“I watched my brother do this for four years so I was really looking forward to my turn,” he said. “I saw him having fun with his teammates. He’s inspired me a lot. He’s been pushing me to put in the hard work.
“I swim the same events that my brother did and I look back at what he did and try to take the best things that he did and apply that to myself, but I still feel like I’m doing my own thing.
“I really want to go to districts and states and get the experience of racing against fast people. I watched those meets when my brother was swimming and I think that just seeing them was good for me because I know what to expect.”
The Rams are at Pennsbury for an SOL crossover double dual meet on Friday at 3:30 p.m.
