Swim Team Splashes to Success at 2022 State Meet

Solemei Scamaroni, Copy Editor|February 13, 2022

Photographed by Head of School, Bill Delbrugge.

Pictured are the state swimmers posing for a group photo after concluding the meet. [Top left to right] Coach Blakely, Rohan Takkar, Charlie Payne, Thomas Chin, Daniel Itkins, Quinn Belmar, Vivian Leger, Shen Subawalla, and Coach Merrifield; [Bottom left to right] Ananya Rao, Jade Belmar, and Melissa Hamada.

With their Viking peers’ thunderous cheers invigorating them, The Village High School Swim team departed on Wednesday, February 8, for the final meet of their season: state. After competing at regionals two weekend’s prior, swimmers Jade Belmar (9), Charlie Payne (9), Rohan Takkar (10), Quinn Belmar (11), Daniel Itkins (11), Vivian Leger (11), Shen Subawalla (11), Thomas Chin (12), Melissa Hamada (12), and Ananya Rao (12) qualified to compete at the prestigious state championships. Accompanied by Coach Blakely and Merrifield, the team competed on Thursday, February 9, at the Josh Davis Natatorium in San Antonio in events such as the 100m Butterfly and the Freestyle Relay. In their divisions, Viking athletes did not fail to impress!

Overall Team Placements:

Girl’s team placed 12th out of 20 teams

Boy’s team placed 5th out of 17 teams

Team Relay Podium Placements

200 Boys Freestyle Relay: Second Place- time of 1:42:14s

Rohan Takkar, Quinn Belmar, Thomas Chin, Daniel Itkins

200 Boys Medley Relay: Third Place- time of 1:31:28

Daniel Itkins (backstroke), Thomas Chin (breaststroke), Quinn Belmar (butterfly), Charlie Payne (freestyle)

Individual Podium Placements

Thomas Chin

3rd place, 100 breaststroke – time of 1:04:84s

Daniel Itkins:

2nd place, 100 backstroke – time of 54.95s

1st place, 50 freestyle – time of 21.45s

Quinn Belmar

Regional Swimmer of the Meet (strongest swimmer in East region, district 3)

1st place, 1oo butterfly – time of 51.83s

1st place 200 medley – time of 1:56:66s

More important than medals or prestige, senior Thomas Chin, who will not be continuing competitive swimming in college, expressed the emotional importance of this final meet.

“I felt extremely happy, but when I realized this was the last swim meet of my high school experience, of my life really, it came as a shock to me how all of my years of swimming concluded with this one moment,” said Chin. “When I touched the board and looked up at my time, I broke into tears.”

For seniors finishing their swimming careers, this meet was an opportunity to not only find joy and accomplishment in the present but reflect on their past.

“I’ve been swimming for Village since sixth grade, and I ended on a high,” said senior Ananya Rao. “The highlight was the team experiences, the relays and bus rides. It was also so cool to see swimmers we’ve known throughout high school at the meet.”

Overall, the high school swim team concluded their season at the state championship with speedy times, bittersweet tears, and joyous laughter.