On Friday, Dec. 16, the pool balcony was not as full as it was for the annual West vs. North swim meet, but there was still that slight surge of energy coursing through the air. This energy propelled the Swim Team to a win on all levels (Freshmen:124, JV: 137-41, Varsity: 127-53).

The meet started off great as the varsity boys placed first in the 200 medley relay with a time of 1:47.66. The Wolves placed first in nearly every event, dominating the pool from the beginning. After only a few events, it was evident that Niles West would win the meet.

Post meet, Varsity head coach Dan Vanderjeugdt had nothing but good things to say about the teams preformance.

“The boys swam well. They definitely had a good meet and they all swam fast. I don’t think anyone swam slower than their seed times. They swam well. Some of the boys swam events they don’t usually swim and they did really well with that,” said Vanderjeugdt.

Junior diver Narcis Ardelean had some great dives Friday night, in which he never scored below a 4.5. Ardelean’s dives were always well-executed and it seemed like he was at the top of his game.

Graduated state-qualifying swimmer Konner Scott came on deck to help cheer on his former teammates as they swam both individual events and relays. Decked out in a Penn State t-shirt and baseball cap, Scott was one of the loudest fans cheering.

As the Wolves and Warriors clustered at the end of the pool to cheer on the swimmers in the final event of the night, the varsity 400-freestyle relay, the two teams yelled out their relay chants. Towards the middle of the race, Maine West became a bit dejected when it was clear that they were not going to win the last event of the night. It was no surprise when the Niles West relay team of senior captain Stephen Giddens, senior Will Lefler, sophomore Sergei Lemesh, and senior captain Ryan Miller finished first with a time of 3:32.39.