The girls’ and boys’ swim and dive teams dominated their regular seasons, finishing with overall records of 9-0 and 8-1, respectively.

The undefeated girls’ team placed first out of 12 teams in the Midland Wachusett League Invitational Swim & Dive Meet on Thursday, Jan. 30. The girls have been league meet champions for three consecutive years and have a 103-3 record since 2012. The boys’ team came in second in the league to Nashoba High School.

The girls’ team captains are seniors Lizzie Meschisen and Alexi Wong. The boys’ captains are seniors Josh Tattelman and James Caroll.

“We have an amazing group of swimmers; they all give their heart into every race,” Tattelman said.

At the league meet, the girls placed first in three of the twelve events. Taking first were Meschisen in the one meter dive, sophomore Angela Lin in the 100 meter breaststroke and seniors Samatha Hostage, Jillian Trudo, junior Haley Rybarczyk and sophomore Leona Sungkharom in the 200 meter free relay.

Meschisen is Algonquin’s only diver and has been a strong asset to the team throughout her high school diving career. Her dives have led the team to several wins this season. She won the sectional meet, placed third in the state last year and will compete at the upcoming State meet. She also placed 11th her freshman year and sixth her sophomore year at States. According to Meschisen, swimmers consider the State meet as an individual meet for personal bests, but scores are counted towards the team at the end.

“My goal is to win both the sectional and state title this year,” Meschisen said.

The teams beat their rivals, the Westborough Rangers, in a dual meet at the Boroughs YMCA on Sunday, Jan. 12, which was a highlight of their season, according to coach Jean Fedak, Meschisen and Tattelman.

“Any meet where we expect it to be close and we pull together and win is a great meet,” Fedak said. “The Westborough meet was a great example of this. We knew they had tremendous talent and we knew that we had to stay focused and determined in order to win.”

For the boys’ team, the meet came down to the 4×100 relay.

“The entire team was standing at the end of the lanes screaming and cheering. I was timing and listening to the boys hype each other up was hilarious,” Meschisen said.

Each year, it is tradition for the winning team to throw their coaches in the pool.

“The Westborough meet is always fun and the kids love it because they get to throw the coaches in the pool,” Fedak said.

Fedak attributes the teams’ success to talent and chemistry.

“The team truly likes each other,” Fedak said. “I have always said when team members are having fun, the winning just seems to come.”

Meschisen appreciates how the girls’ and boys’ teams are unified.

“Both teams have a cohesive dynamic when it comes to supporting each other and having fun during the season,” Meschisen said. “Bus rides, pasta parties and cheering for each other during meets highlight our team pride.”

Both teams went to the Central-West Sectional Swim & Dive Championships at Springfield College on Sunday, Feb. 9 where the girls’ placed 11th and the boys’ placed 14th. Now, the girls will participate in the Division 1 State Championships on Saturday, Feb. 15 and the boys will on Sunday, Feb. 16 at Boston University at 7:30 PM. 

Meschisen is proud of the team and knows she has been part of something special.

“It was an honor to be a captain for this team, and I will forever cherish the memories and friends I made,” Meschisen said. “Everybody on the team is outstanding both in and out of the water, and I wish the team the best of luck in future years.”

Fedak is also proud of the team’s strength for so many years.

“Our strength lies in our depth, our consistency in supporting our lead swimmers, an incredible diver, great senior leadership, captains who care about teammates and T-Hawk grit,” Fedak said.