Chelmie Hyppolite also contributed to this article.
The 2024-2025 season marked yet another great season for the MHS swim team as they swam their way into victory, winning the 2025 Greater Boston League tournament for their dual meet record of 7-1. On top of this amazing achievement for the team, freshman Sophie Tran and senior Hailey Tran qualified for both states and sectionals.
Sophie, despite being a freshman, has been on the team for three years, while Hailey has been on the swim team since freshman year, making it to states for three consecutive years. Being on the same team and sharing a love for sport as sisters has brought them even closer together. Hailey described these moments as precious because it means she gets to share her love of swimming with her sister. In fact, they qualified for states at the same meet.
Yet, before these accomplishments were made, on January 28th, the swim team showcased their talents and determination during their senior night with an 82-72 win against Lynn Classical. With the MHS swim team winning their fourth consecutive GBL title, undoubtedly, the six seniors on the team deserve to be highlighted. Well, the senior night did just that.
Prior to the meet, the swim team decorated the pool area with various arrays of food, posters, arrangements of balloons, and decorations. Right before the seniors entered the pool area, the underclassmen of the team excitedly lined up and cheered on the six seniors as they walked in: Captain Hailey Tran, Captain Gordon Zeng, Sarahy Escobar Ayala, Dante Federico, Kevin Lin, and James Zhou.
Zeng, who joined the team his sophomore year, emphasized just how amazing the senior night atmosphere was: “Aside from us just winning the meet, I think it was one of the meets where we had the most energy, family, friends, and spectators there. It was great.”
Coach Julie Grillon agreed that the atmosphere of senior night was optimistic. “I think [senior night] showed the seniors a lot of respect and showed them just how much the team cared for them and is going to miss them next year,” Grillon explained.
Escobar, who has been swimming her entire life, joined the MHS swim team her sophomore year. “I was new at this school and I wanted to get involved with something like a sport, but I wasn’t big on soccer or basketball, and I’m not a cheerleader, so I thought to try swimming,” Escobar explained.
Despite the season ending on a good note, the team faced many struggles. Junior Danielle Harrington described this season as the most challenging season, with the agreement of her teammates. Harrington went on to mention how this season was “completely different from my past two years, but I couldn’t be more than proud to be a part of this team.”
Part of the team’s struggles this season can be attributed to the swim team’s Coach Jessica Bisson being out on leave. In her absence, Grillon decided to take over coaching the team due to her prior experience. “I’ve coached one year in the past with her, and I coached a lot of seasons of swimming at the Malden YMCA,” said Grillon, “so I said I could help out.”
Grillon detailed how there was an initial period of chaos due to the unexpected coaching changes; yet, after taking a few weeks for everyone to warm up to each other, things began to run smoothly again.
The swim team’s ability to be resilient in difficult situations stems from their strong connection as a team, constantly motivating each other to excel in the sport they have grown to love. “We push each other a lot, we’re kind of racing each other. It’s good that we can push ourselves and have fun,” Zeng described.
Harrington agrees with Zeng, explaining how the swim team’s “dynamic started to change with the influence of upperclassmen” and she realized that swimming “can be both taken seriously and enjoyable.”
The Tran sisters both qualified for sectionals that took place on Saturday, February 8th. Haley Tran finished eighth in the 50 freestyle earning the team 11 points. In comparison, Sophie Tran finished fourth in the 100 fly gaining the team 15 points each. Overall, scoring 66 points, the team placed 12th out of 23 teams. The swim team will need to maintain their resilience as there is a full relay going to States on Saturday, February 15th.
Through many trials and tribulations, the swim team has continued to persevere and grow as swimmers and as teammates. With all of these accomplishments, the seniors will be leaving behind a legacy that will live on through the excellence of the underclassmen.
