The boys varsity swimming team competed at sectionals on Saturday, Feb. 17 bringing home multiple wins. Sophomore Ethan Chung was one of the five swimmers to qualify for state. Along with qualifying for state, Chung also broke a school record for the 100 butterfly, with his time being 49.80.
Chung started swimming when he was eight years old. At first, he did the sport for fun, but as he started to improve and become older, he began to take it more seriously. Going into his high school swimming career, he began to see his hard work pay off.
“It feels great to break the school record and go to state. It’s been one of my goals to break the school record, so I’m really happy I was able to do it. Not just me, but this whole season, our team has been putting in a lot of work, improving every day which has shown in our accomplishments,” Chung said.
This year, West’s pool is being remodeled, which was a challenge for the boys swimming and diving team. But this didn’t stop Chung from continuing to progress. Physical education teacher and boys varsity swimming coach Daniel Vanderjeugdt feels Chung has shown leadership during their season.
“During practice, everyone is always trying to race with Chung. He not only has fun during practice, but he pushes his teammates to their limits. He is very supportive and is always trying to help out when others need it,” Vanderjeugdt said.
Sophomore Nick Dao also qualified for state along with Chung. Both of them met at a young age. Now, they go to the same high school, swimming on the same team.
“I have known Chung for almost my whole life, and I can say he is a very dedicated person in everything he does. He is always trying to get better every day during practice. I wasn’t surprised that he broke a school record because of how much work he has put into this season,” Dao said.
With Chung being only a sophomore, he still has two more years left at West, but has already achieved great things, according to his coaches.
“Chung is a very hard-working kid with a great work ethic. He has had great success with his high school swimming career so far. Chung has already been on the boys swimming record-breaking board eight times,” Vanderjeugdt said.
Chung still has many accomplishments he wants to achieve.
“For my junior and senior seasons, I hope to improve on my times and be able to someday win state,” Chung said.
The swimmers who qualified for state competed on Monday, Feb. 23. Chung placed eight in state for the 100 butterfly, making him an All-American swimmer.
