McDonogh remains the standard in MIAA Swimming

by Derek Toney

There were whispers around MIAA A swimming circles at the start of the season that McDonogh’s reign would be challenged by Gilman. The whispers grew louder after the Eagles lost to Gilman during the regular season. 

Though shaken, McDonogh was far from deterred. Saturday evening, the Eagles showed again why they’ve been the standard in MIAA A swimming the last decade, winning a second straight championship at Loyola University’s Mangione Aquatic Center.

The Eagles led wire-to-wire, compiling 477 points to best Gilman (412). Loyola Blakefield, who took top honors in the junior varsity championship meet Saturday; placed a distant third (305) in the varsity standings.

It’s the sixth title for McDonogh in the last seven contested championship meets (no meet in 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic). Sophomore Justin Shi led the way for the Eagles with three first-place medals.

McDonogh regrouped after suffering a 87-83 defeat to Gilman in early January,

“It wasn’t easy at the beginning of the year. Sometimes you can be a victim of your success,” said Eagles coach Scott Ward. “The seniors kind of figured it out after the Gilman loss and they needed to work harder and lock it down. They did that.”

“I’m really proud of the team and how far we’ve come,” said Shi. “We were a little bit nervous in the Gilman match and weren’t really locked in. We’ve really put in the effort and deserved this.”

Shi, along with teammates Riley Poirier, Maxwell Jackson and senior Bofeng Shu, set the tone for the Eagles with a meet-opening win in the 200-yard medley relay. Shi won the 100 butterfly (49.1 seconds) and set a new MIAA-best 1:47.84 in the 200 IM. 

Jackson, a junior, claimed top honors in the 50 freestyle (21.25), and Poirier (junior) placed first in the 500 freestyle (4:33.1). McDonogh netted four top-eight finishes in the 100 butterfly and 500 freestyle to build a 65-point advantage after seven events.

Ward said McDonogh had a little more depth compared to last year’s championship squad.

“We certainly won some events, but we were just really strong with our third and fourth guy which was something we impressed upon them,” said Ward.  “You can’t be carried by your stars.”

Gilman, seeking to become the first team outside of McDonogh (eight) and Loyola Blakefield (21) to win the MIAA A crown, got a huge effort from Bogdan Mytsak. The senior won the 100 backstroke (51.22) and helped the Greyhounds to set a new MIAA best in the 400 freestyle relay (3:04.13; Bryce Heo, Kyan Siri and Myles Goff) and placed first in the 200 medley relay (1:24.58; Heo, Siri and Cooper Walters).

Loyola junior Spencer Belbot broke the 17-year record mark in the 200 freestyle (1:38.23) and won the 100 freestyle (45.92). Calvert Hall senior James Fairbank claimed the 100 breaststroke (56.35). 

After taking another celebratory dip with his team, Ward said culture and brotherhood has been the staple of McDonogh’s success.

“You’re not just swimming for you, you’re swimming for your brothers, you’re swimming for the alumni,” said Stanley Kabenge, one of eight Eagle seniors. “We got like 15 messages from a bunch of alumni just cheering us on and it just shows it doesn’t just stop after four years.”