By KEN HAMWEY

Staff Sports Writer

Now that interscholastic athletic achievements for the 2021-22 school year are in the record books, so often the success of some programs hardly receives any notice. It’s like their accomplishments simply flew under the radar.

Holliston High’s boys and girls swimming and diving teams are a prime example.

Both of the Panthers’ squads won Tri Valley League championships during the winter season. They both went unbeaten in the league — the girls were 8-0 and the boys were 7-0 — and both competed admirably in post-season meets. 

The girls team, which had only seven qualifiers in the South Sectional, finished ninth out of 37 squads. The boys, who had only five qualifiers, were dynamic, finishing seventh out of 40 teams. At the State meet, 45 teams competed and the girls managed an 11th-place finish. The boys were ninth out of 40 teams. 

Other Holliston sports teams no doubt deserve recognition for their unsung success but what makes the Panthers accomplishments so praise-worthy is the brief time they’ve competed in the sport. The program is only 20 years old. And, another laudable factor is how quickly the boys and girls teams adjusted to a new coach.

Coach Julie Harrington, however, is no stranger to the sport. She’s coached at big-time collegiate venues — like the U.S. Merchant Marine academy on Long Island, Towson State in Baltimore, Texas Christian University and the University of South Carolina.

Here’s what she said about her girls and boys teams:

“The girls exceeded expectations. They’re fighters who don’t give up. All of them are great athletes who maintained their desire and dedication. The boys are special competitors, numbering only five at the sectional and states. They battled at every meet and delivered in key situations. They also exceeded expectations.’’

Harrington points to valuable attributes that enabled both teams to win TVL titles and place high in the post-season meets.

“Our team chemistry and the coachable nature of our kids were excellent,’’ Harrington emphasized. “Both squads had strong leadership, were athletic, mentally tough and resilient. Depth and experience also were strengths.’’

The girls, whose only loss was a non-league meet to Wayland, used that setback as motivation. They rolled through the TVL unbeaten but their struggle with Medfield was a classic — a display of determination.

“We beat Medfield by four points by capturing the 400 freestyle relay,’’ Harrington recalled. “It was a back-and-forth battle but our relay team was in mid-season form. The team included Ella Bosselman, Liv Webb, captain Rachel Haynes and Grace Wang.’’

Harrington notes that her girls roster numbered 27 and there were freshmen and newcomers on the team. “I was pleased because we had times when Covid-19 slowed the season. I was happy with their finish in the sectional, and placing 11th at the states with only seven on the team was phenomenal.’’

The girls not only fared well for the entire season, but they also set a school record at the states in the 400 freestyle relay. The girls on that unit were Webb, Haynes, Bosselman and Ella Kuchman.

The seven girls who competed in the sectional and states were Haynes ((200, 500 freestyle), Bosselman (100 breaststroke, 200 individual medley), Webb (100 butterfly, 100 backstroke), Denna Caruso (200 medley, 200 freestyle relay), Wang (200 and 400 freestyle relay), Kuchman (200 freestyle relay) and Ella Talmanson (200 freestyle relay).

The Panthers other two captains — Isabella Rahim (sprints, diving) and Sasha Tcherepanova (breaststroke, individual medley) — drew praise from the coach. “Our captains provided great leadership, by example and by being communicative,’’ Harrington said. “I leaned on them to learn about our team.’’

The five boys who represented Holliston in the post-season were captain Aidan Malbey (100 butterfly, 500 freestyle), Jon Bird (100, 200 freestyle), Lucas Haynes (200, 500 freestyle), Devin Bird (100 butterfly, 200 individual medley), and Jared Sangil (200 medley relay, 400 freestyle relay).

“We had a small group but its 7th and 9th place finishes in the post-season were incredible,’’ Harrington offered. “Their two top-10 finishes are a tribute to their competitive spirit.’’

Two other key cogs for Holliston were captain Carter Pomponio (freestyle, breaststroke) and Brian Sahagian (diver). The Panthers boys roster numbered 22.

The boys team, which also lost a non-league meet to Wayland, showed its mettle against Westwood. “They won by two points in spite of missing one of our key swimmers,’’ Harrington said. “Westwood had a very good team but we prevailed.’’

The boys quartet of Jon Bird, Malbey, Haynes and Sangil set a school record in the 400 freestyle relay. Three individual school records also were set. Malbey set a record in the butterfly and the 500 freestyle and Jon Bird was a record-setter in the freestyle.

Harrington is optimistic that Holliston’s future in swimming and diving will be bright. “We’ve lost some quality seniors but we’ll have depth,’’ she said. “I had a delightful first season at Holliston but what we accomplished will be hard to top in the year ahead.’’

Duxbury and Amherst Regional won the girls sectional and state meets, respectively. Needham won the boys sectional and Weston took top honors at the state level. In time, Holliston could be on track to battle for those lofty placements.

Swimming and diving are strenuous activities and they’re exciting to watch. Harrington, however, is acutely aware that the sport isn’t high-profile, like football, basketball, hockey and baseball. But, she believes that outstanding achievement in any sport should be recognized.

Holliston’s swimmers and divers did get some notice at the team’s annual banquet. And, there’s more good news. The boys and the girls TVL championships will be updated on a banner in the Panthers’ gymnasium.

Flying under the radar may be a thing of the past for this program.