The Loomis boys and girls swim teams recently faced formidable teams from Phillips Andover Academy and Suffield Academy at the Pan Athletic Center in Andover, Mass. While both teams lost to Andover, they secured wins against Suffield and rose to strong performances in many events. 

In girls diving, sophomore Sarah Lamphere placed first with a season-high score of 239.47 points for six dives. Freshman Annika Schnabel finished third with a season-high score of 193.05 points. In the pool, senior Jessica Zhao and sophomore Amelia Chung finished second and third in the 100 freestyle, and sophomore Helen Lu won the 500 freestyle with a season-best time of 5:30.80. 

The meet ended with a season -best in the 400 freestyle relay as the team of junior Marin Benoit, Chung, Zhao, and junior Abbie Wildstein placed second. Overall, the girls team saw improvements in their performances and showed solid teamwork. 

The boys team earned a 92-82 victory over Suffield in a meet that was decided in the final relay. Junior Georges DeVos secured the team’s only event win in diving, but strong performances across multiple events helped Loomis Chaffee gradually gain an advantage. Key contributors included senior co-captain Harava Rahardjo (100 butterfly, 200 individual medley), junior Jerry Li (100 fly, 100 breaststroke), and freshman Chris Nelson (500 freestyle, 100 backstroke). 

Other notable swims came from juniors George Mirgorodskiy (50 free, 100 free, 200 medley relay, 200 freestyle relay), Chris Zeng (200 IM, 100 fly), and Matt Cormier (200 IM, 100 breast). Additional efforts from sophomore Jack Haegele (50 free, 100 free), sophomore Andy Vuong (50 free, 100 back), freshman Emory Andrews (100 breast), junior Wyeth Andrews (200 free), and sophomore Dean Tran (200 free, 500 free) contributed to the team's overall success. In the final event, the 400 freestyle relay, Rahardjo, Tran, Nelson, and Zeng placed third overall behind Andover and Suffield.

The team handled well the challenges of competing in a championship facility and after a demanding training schedule.

Both teams gained valuable experience from the meet and will continue to work toward improving their performances in upcoming competitions.