Printer Friendly Version - Hand Boys’ Swimming Flowing Towards Stronger Currents After First Co-Op Year

In its first year as a co-op squad, the Hand-Branford-Old Saybrook boys’ swimming and diving squad improved upon its win total and SCC Championship placement from the prior season while finishing ninth in its first appearance at the Class L State Championship. Photo courtesy of Scott Butler

The Hand-Branford-Old Saybrook boys’ swimming and diving co-op team certainly flowed freely and functioned strongly in and out of the waves this winter. Still, the Tigers formed a formidable formula for future success that they will look to act upon in the coming years.

Following a 5-5 dual-meet campaign mark and fifth-place showing for the SCC Championship, at the Class L State Championship on March 12 at Cornerstone, the Tigers cracked the top 10 in terms of placements and finished ninth with a team tally of 249 points for their inaugural appearance in Class L. Head Coach Scott Butler detailed that while there is more work to be done in terms of the ultimate team targets in the form of conference and state crowns, the boys made the most of their first foray into being a co-op.

“Our team goals were to win more meets than last season [which was four], place higher than last year for SCCs [6th], and to create a team full of young men that could work together towards a common goal, to support one another, and to push each other to become a better version of themselves,” said Butler. “The first two were met successfully, and the last part of that is still a work in progress. But a lot of progress was made, yet there is still a lot to go. Setting the tone, from the top, is essential, and I truly believe that this season laid the foundation. Next season, it becomes our mantra. I am hopeful that this will become our most important goal for next season.”

In relays at states, the 200 medley grouping was seventh with juniors Justin Pham, Matt Gentil, Adam Signorello, and sophomore Brandon Beaudoin (of Old Saybrook) in a time of one minute and 43.74 seconds. The 400 free foursome in Signorello, junior Justin Li, Beaudoin, and Gentil finished sixth in a mark of 3:24.31. Lastly, the 200 free set of Pham, sophomore Grant Campbell, Li, and sophomore Alexander Sanchez-Ampudio came in 13th (1:37.24).

For solo events, Gentil highlighted the evening for Hand, as he placed third for the 100 breaststroke in a time of one minute and 0.58 seconds. He finished behind only runner-up Shaun Li out of Ridgefield (1:00.37) and state champion Deacon Mascarinas of New Canaan (58.17 seconds).

Elsewhere, Signorello raced to 15th in the 200 free (time of 1:52.18), Beaudoin claimed eighth for the 200 IM by clocking in at two minutes and 5.01 seconds, and Gentil was right on his heels in ninth (2:03.49). Sanchez-Ampudio was 24th (2:15.94). Signorello also swam to sixth with regards to the 100 butterfly in 54.41 seconds, and Pham also placed 18th for the event (57.98). Beaudoin then took on the 500 free race and came in 14th place with a mark of 5:05.64, Pham was also 23rd in the 100 backstroke (1:00.67), and Campbell was 18th for the 100 breaststroke (in 1:06.48).

Hand was then 41st with 20 points for the State Open Championship on March 16 at Yale University. Gentil finished 21st for the 200 IM in a time of two minutes and 3.63 seconds, and he came in 11th for the 100 breaststroke by clocking in at 1:00.55. Also, the 200 medley relay squad was the first alternate foursome for the event.

For the regular season, the Tigers clinched an increased win total via defeating Cheshire on Feb. 13. A week later vs. Notre Dame-West Haven, senior Alex Marino scored a personal milestone, when he dropped five seconds in the last race of his four-year career. After finishing fifth at SCCs, Gentil set a new personal and program best by breaking the school record in the 100 breaststroke at the Class L State Trials on March 9 with a time of 59.05 seconds.

Away from the action, Hand saw sound successes with cultivating camaraderie, chemistry, and a strong brotherhood. The boys specifically made it a mission prior to the first strokes of the season and certainly saw it through.

“Lots of friendships were rekindled from last season, and quite a few friendships were made. Training in such close proximity to one another gave these young men the opportunity to spend a lot of time together,” said Butler. “ In fact, I often told them that we spent more time together than we did with anyone else during that four-month stretch. This was one of our goals, which was mentioned specifically by 12 of them in their individual goals for the season.”

Gentil made both the All-SCC and All-State Team for the 100 breaststroke for postseason solo awards for the Tigers.

Hand was led through the co-op assimilation by a trio of junior captains, with Madison representatives Adam Signorello and Gentil, plus Branford’s Pham. While their appointments may have been a bit behind schedule than the standard fare timeline, the triplets made up for lost time and showed experience and leadership beyond their years.

“Our three captains this season were juniors, who were sort of thrown into leadership roles late in the game. Typically, our captains are voted on and announced soon after our season ends, but because our incoming captain moved out of state, we had to pivot,” Butler said. “Matthew Gentil, Adam Signorello, and Justin Pham shared an interest to make the jump to captaincy a year before they had previously anticipated. The four of us worked hard this season to make this work. I believe that next season these young men will have all the confidence in the world to create an all-inclusive team that pushes one another to give all they can for the team. Typically, at this point, a coach would reflect on the captaincy and discuss their legacy and what they have imparted upon their team. Instead, I am hopeful for the opportunity to build upon all that they have done so far.”

The graduating losses are actually quite shallow from this edition of the Tigers’ team. This fact, combined with the knowledge of some incoming rookies who never spend a season out of water, has Hand looking to bolster not only its sheer numbers on the roster, but also its league and state-title aspirations.

“Next year’s team will be much stronger than this year’s team. We are only graduating one senior, and there are at least five incoming freshmen that swim year-round with area USA Club teams,” said Butler. “We will be returning all members who qualified for SCC Finals, state trials, and/or state finals this season. We should have over 20 members next season, which will enhance both the top end of our lineup as well as our depth. I can’t wait!”

The 2023-2024 Hand-Branford-Old Saybrook roster is comprised of Marino (of Hand); juniors Signorello, Gentil, Justin Li, Alexander Muenker (of Hand), and Pham; sophomores in Beaudoin, Emilio Arce (Branford), Branford’s Chase Barone, Sanchez-Ampudio (of Branford), Sahil Bhatt, Grant Campbell, and Thomas Starkey (of Hand); plus freshmen James Crozier, John Funk, Eric Orshansky Kai Taras-Cinque, and Andy Wang (all from Hand).

Butler, who was unassisted this season, finished his second campaign as head coach. He has been with the boys’ swimming program since 2017 as an assistant coach.

2023-2024 Hand-Branford-Old Saybrook Boys’ Swimming and Diving Co-Op Regular Season Results