Northampton Area High School’s varsity swimming and diving team made waves last Thursday, Dec. 14, defeating Allentown Central Catholic with decisive wins by the girls and boys teams. Overall scores were 103-77 for the girls and 135-42 for the boys team.

From the starting blocks, the Northampton boys started strong with the 200 medley relay team of Logan Saylor, Aiden Kuntz, Ryan Frank, and Aiden Missmer rocketing to a first-place victory, followed closely by Northampton’s B and C relays squads.

This set the tone for the meet, as the Northampton boys team went on to sweep the freestyle relays, with teams led by Alex Szeplaki, Ethan Brobst, Nick Issac and Andrew Szeplaki in the 200, and Isaac, Stephen Carrasco, Riggings O’Grady and Nate Scheirer claiming the 400 crown.

Individual brilliance shone brightly, with Nick Issac leading the charge in the 200 freestyle, Ryan Frank dominating the 200 individual medley and 100 backstroke events, and Gabriella Oswald setting the pool ablaze in the girls 50 freestyle.

Brenna Caley’s sleek backstroke earned her the gold in the girls 100 backstroke, Aiden Kuntz contributed to the individual triumphs with a first-place finish in the boys 100 breaststroke and Logan Saylor’s excellent butterfly secured him the top spot in the boys 100 butterfly event. In the 500 freestyle event, GiGi Esteban’s endurance propelled her to victory and Josiah Hippert mirrored Esteban’s feat in the boys 500 freestyle, showcasing the Northampton squad’s depth across various stokes and distances.

This depth of talent is something Northampton’s head coach Cullen Mentzell is working hard to develop this year.

“I am looking to get the kids in as many different events as possible,” commented Mentzell.

He went on to explain that his main goal is, “to give [the swimmers] the confidence that they can perform well in any event they have to swim and that we can compete against the better swimmers in the area.”

The diving events brought the same onslaught of Northampton victories, with the K-Kids’ Isabella Kish and Allison Unangst delivering a one-two punch in the girls 1-meter event. The men followed suit, with brothers Andrew and Alex Szeplaki claiming the top-two spots, while Samuel Hayes secured a well-deserved third place.

Northampton’s commanding performance against the Allentown Central Catholic team speaks volumes about their talent and dedication.

Leading into the holiday break in meets the team will find no break in their practice regimen as they continue to prepare for the second half of their season kicking off in January.