FHS Swim Team : A Reflection on a Wonderful Season

Written by: Reese Van Beveren 

As Spring approaches, the winter sports season comes to its end. The FHS swim team’s 2025-2026 season came to a close in January, the team ending with a winning season of 4-3. With 26 swimmers, 13 athletes from the 25-26 season returned with 13 new athletes in tow. From the start to the end of the season, it is clear that everyone improved greatly. Coach Setek had a successful first season as Head Coach, and Coach Tooles also contributed greatly to the team’s victory.

From their first meet against Camden Academy Charter, the team was destined for greatness. After a 2 hour bus ride to Camden, the team received a well deserved victory where the final score was 117-13. Their success carried on to the future, where they had other great victories, notably their win against Rutgers prep with a score of 49-45, and Immaculata with a score of 97-69. Although the team did have their losses, they had many hard-fought meets and placed 3rd in their division, and 5th overall in the Skyland Standings, landing the team in the top 69th to 75th percentile. The team also had swimmers at the Skyland Conference on January 17th, and the Somerset County meet on January 31st. These swimmers were Emily Cogdill, Reese Van Beveren, and Sarah Zellers for the girls team, and Kris Rao, Christian Reynoso, Eli Zavatsky, Avery Perry, and Aarush Rai for the boys team. They each had a solid showing and most got their personal best at the meet. 

Various members of the FHS Swim Team on their Senior Night.

Another notable victory was their win against Woodbridge on January 13th with a final score of 56-38. This meet was particularly special because the team celebrated their senior night. There were a total of 8 seniors this year, including 2 managers. Captain Emily Cogdill, Captain Kris Rao, Captain Eli Savatsky, Aarush Rai, Brynn Van Beveren, Christian Reynoso, Manager Noura Regragui, and Manager Nore Gaber are all graduating this year. It was a great chance to celebrate the seniors and a victory! 

In conclusion, the swim team improved greatly, and with a lot of young athletes on the team, the expectations for next season are high. After reading about the victories of the swim team, you may be interested in joining as well. All you need is to be able to swim, preferably if you know the four strokes (Butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, freestyle), and have a positive attitude! Swimming is the perfect exercise if you want to get into shape because there is a low risk for injuries, it engages all your major muscles, and compared to other forms of exercise, is low-impact and gives you the results you want! The swim team will be back next year for another great season, and you could be part of it!