For Ethan Tack and Dylan Chan, it’s finally their time
Half Hollow Hills' Ethan Tack gets presented with the Most Outstanding Swimmer plaque during the Suffolk boys swimming individual championships/state qualifier on Saturday, Feb. 17, 2018, at Suffolk CCC-Brentwood. Credit: Bob Sorensen
Six years ago, Ethan Tack and Dylan Chan were middle school kids on a prodigious swimming program, just looking to crack the lineup and find a way to contribute.
But every year, the duo inched closer to the forefront of the Half Hollow Hills boys swimming team, winning championships as complimentary pieces.
This season was different. It was their turn to set the standard and on Saturday, the seniors led Hills to its 12th straight Suffolk championship, posting 418 points, in the Suffolk individual championship / state qualifier at Suffolk CCC-Brentwood.
“I think this is one of the most special ones,” said Chan, a senior at Hills West. “Obviously because it was our last, but the fact that when we first joined the team, we were playing supporting cast roles and we were the ones trying to fight for one or two points.”
Ward Melville finished second (326.5) and Northport placed third (198).
Tack, the lone swimmer to win two individual races and named the meet’s most outstanding competitor, emerged out of the pool victorious in all four of his races. He won the 200-yard freestyle in 1:41.93 and 100 butterfly in an All-American consideration time of 50.01. He was also a member of the winning 200 medley relay and 400 free relay teams.
“Six years and to finish it off with an MVP at this meet is obviously huge for me,” said Tack, also a senior at Hills West. “It represents the team and what we’ve achieved over the years.”
Hills, which has posted the most team points of any public school at each of the last two state championships, had additional individual victories by Kabir Randhawa (500 free, 4:37.69) and Chan (100 free, 47.59).
“It’s honestly a blessing,” Chan said. “We’ve had a lot of great memories. When we first joined the team, I don’t think we had any aspirations or thought we could win state championships or do anything like this.”
The Thundercolts’ relay teams opened and closed the meet with victories, with the 200 medley team of Chan, Mason Arnberg, Tack and Randhawa edging out Ward Melville by 0.14 seconds, winning in 1:35.98. Their 400 free relay team of Randhawa, Tack, Alex Jakubiak and Chan won in 3:10.07, finishing 0.06 seconds away from the county record.
“It’s amazing,” coach Nina Cunningham said. “It’s an accomplishment and these kids work so hard all year-round.”
Other individual winners featured Shoreham-Wading River’s Jason Louser (200 IM, 1:50.63), Northport’s Ethan Greenfield (50 free, 21.89) and Hauppauge’s Trenton Burr (100 backstroke, 51.26) and Jack Casey (100 breaststroke, 55.34). Casey’s time was an All-American automatic standard.
Ward Melville’s Nick Bogush, Kevin Xu, David He and Cameron Kubik won the 200 free relay in 1:27.03.
With Cunningham saying Hills had 10 swimmers qualify for the March 2-3 state championship at the Nassau Aquatic Center at Eisenhower Park, the competitors hope to add even more hardware.
“Starting out in middle school, we obviously knew we had a ton of time ahead of us,” Tack said. “ . . . And for it to be coming to an end in two weeks is pretty crazy.
“It’s kind of gone too fast.”
