Five spectacular Bulldog swimmers have worked extremely hard this season to qualify for the chance to win a state title in their respective events.
The swim meet for states will be held at Jeff Rouse Swim & Sport Center in Stafford, Virginia on Sunday, Feb. 22. Bulldogs Jack Miceli, Mejd Hutchinson, Abby DeLong, Christopher Mitran, and Patrick O’Hair will all be representing the school with their sights set on a state level achievement.
Standout swimmer Jack Miceli is competing in the 100 back, 500 free, and 200 medley, which makes him the busiest swimmer for the school at states.
“I qualified for states at the first meet of the season,” sophomore Miceli said. “But I have dropped a lot of time throughout the season in both events.”
Along with his stellar performance that qualified him for the state meet, Miceli has set school records this year and last year. Last year, he set the school record for the 100 back with a time of 54.05 seconds, but he worked even harder this year to break another record in the 500 free with 4:43.75 minutes at the regional swim meet.
“I practice with my club team to help me prepare,” Miceli said. “I have been working harder this year than last as I went from practicing six times a week to eight times a week.”
Miceli is a highly decorated athlete in his career with many commendable achievements. He does not plan to stop, however; he plans to continue to work even harder in his upcoming years to represent the school.
Racing the 200 medley with Miceli, senior Mejd Hutchinson will be racing for a state championship for his final time, which has made him feel more determined than ever before.
“I am motivated by the fact that these will be my last swimming races because I am a senior this year,” Hutchinson said. “I am putting more work into my breaststroke and lifting heavier in the gym as preparation.”
Hutchinson made sure that he would make it to the state race this season, so he pushed himself during the regional swim meet, which was his last chance for qualification.
“I was fairly stagnant in progression until regionals,” Hutchinson said. “There, I raced real competition and managed to drop three seconds from my time.”
Another impressive swimmer that has made drastic changes in the season, freshman Abby DeLong will be the only girl from the school who is on her way to Stafford on Sunday. She will be swimming the 500 back.
“I shocked myself, and I am so excited to go to states and to represent my female teammates,” DeLong said. “I put so much hard work into what I do and when I see results, it pushes me to do even better.”
Only in her first year of high school, DeLong has managed to excel in the lap lanes and use her competitiveness to beat out even the most experienced swimmers.
“My passion for swimming and my drive to get even faster is what helped me qualify,” DeLong said. “I feel like I’ve grown a lot from the swimmer I was last season, and, mentally, I’ve been more ready to race than I ever have been.”
