By: Carter Gribble
In a season opener against Ingraham on December 8th, the Irish swim team faced unexpected challenges with almost half the roster missing due to practice requirements and key swimmers absent. Despite the hurdles, standout performances by various swimmers propelled the Irish to a decisive victory over the Rams.
Historically, swim meets against Ingraham have not been very close, usually favoring O’Dea. However, this time, with almost half the roster missing due to the 10-practice minimum and key swimmers like Jack Skarda, Shea Skarda, and Davis Leclercq absent, the meet wasn't a sure win for the Irish.
Despite the challenges, there were outstanding performances, notably from sophomores Alec Olsen and August Pierce. Olsen competed in the 50 and 100-yard freestyle, winning both heats and securing crucial points for the team.
Pierce, who swam the 50 and 100 freestyle, and the Butterfly leg in the 200-yard medley relay with Logan Lamb, Torsten Schenck, and Prentice Sanders, claimed first place in both the 50 and 100 free. His relay team also took the top spot with a time of 1:48.46, beating the second-place team by over 4 seconds.
Several boys aimed to qualify for the WIAA tournaments with their times. In swimming, qualification for districts outside the metro tournament can be achieved by swimming under the required time in respective events.
Alongside Olsen and Pierce, junior Cooper Saliba, freshman Max Robbins, sophomore Wyatt Sanford, junior Aaron DesJardin, senior Colin Jones, junior Delaney Connor, senior Nathan Lee, and sophomore Logan Lamb also qualified for Metros and/or districts.
With over 10 swimmers qualifying for metros the Irish were able to bulldoze Ingraham with a score of 116-64.
Reflecting on the energy of the swim meet and its connection to O’Dea culture, Olsen shared, “The energy at the swim meets is something you don’t get a lot outside of O’Dea swimming. We are constantly competing. We all push each other to be the best we can be, not only as a swimmer but as a teammate and an O’Dea Brother.”
Looking ahead, the Irish will face the Lakeside Lions this Friday in what could be the most competitive metro meet of the year. Olsen expressed confidence, saying, “We’ll get the job done.”
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