Following a phenomenal season last year for the swim team as they went from six swimmers to twelve, it was time for the Knights to grow even more dominant on the dual Mount Michael-Skutt team. This year, following even more recruiting than the previous season, the Mount Michael team has further grown to be over two-thirds of the boys on the team.
The team enlisted four new members: Patrick Killeen ‘27, Patrick Johansen ‘28, Arlo Chubbuck ‘28, and Max Vasco ‘28. Sophomores have especially been the target of recruitment in recent years, as the year before four new sophomores were added to the team. Even the Skutt side of the team has grown quite a bit, including the addition of one new swimmer for the boys’ team, Grant Lenz ‘28, and more than ten new freshmen girls on the team.
Patrick Johansen has had an especially unique road to swim team, with all three of his older brothers previously being on the team. “I’ve been waiting for so many years to join this team, and I cannot wait to start,” Johansen said. His path to state swimming is a sure one, as he started off the season in the fastest lane, training with the best swimmers on the team every day and getting to practice early.
The new members of the team are also particularly notable for how involved they are in other activities. Killeen, for example, has won state tennis championships two years in a row now while also participating in track and field, Killeen sees swim as a fun experience with friends, while also serving as nice off-season exercise time. Chubbuck too is involved in many other activities, such as tennis, theatre, mock trial, and more, starting off the season strong sharing the lane with many powerful swimmers including Nathan Mullin ‘26 and Rylan Pearson ‘27. Vasco ‘28 is coming off his great cross-country season to transition into an even better swim team with his friends. “I’ve heard a bunch about how fun swim team is and I’m really excited to start it this year,” Vasko said.
The swimming team has recently become even more friendly than ever, with the team driving themselves to practice, everyone on the team gets to enjoy a fun conversation about something strange every day, with people they wouldn’t usually have the chance to talk to. This fun and communal relationship, especially with the Pasta Feeds at team members’ houses every Friday, brings a unique aspect to the team that makes more and more people from the Mount want to join in on the fun.
The unique aspect of seeing people from other schools and working with them brings a special twist the winter sport. Josh Morgan ‘26 said, “I love talking to all the Skutt swimmers especially Keaton and Grant Lenz.”
Mullin ‘26 said, “Hanging out with my friends and cool people like Mike Dobel from Skutt is a hype experience.”
The Mount’s swimming team has brought a lot of energy to the start of the winter sports season this year, and with all the new members the team is set out for a great season.
