Boys Swim Takes a Dive

As spring sports start to get ready for the upcoming season, boys swim has been training in and out of the pool for their approaching season. 

Getting back into the swim mentality and shape has been easy for a few of the boys as some of them have freshly come out of the water polo season. 

Besides working out on the deck or in the weight room, the boys varsity swim has been putting in the work to come out first. 

“We train for meets by practicing hard and perfecting our races,” stated Paxton Smith (12).

The boys’ first dual meet is against Aliso’s hometown rival, Dana Hills High School. This meet takes place at Aliso’s infamous pool on March 8.

The team is excited to get into the water and start competing again. 

Some important upcoming events are the Black and Teal Intersquad, taking place on Feb. 22. Starting on Feb. 28 through March 2 the Capo Relays will take place. On March 14, Aliso will go against Capo Valley High School at Capo Valley. Aliso will go against Mission Viejo High School on March 21. On March 29, Aliso will compete against San Juan Hills High School. The team will go against Tesoro and San Clemente as their last meets before prelims for League and CIF begin.

This year’s boys varsity swim team captains are Paxton Smith (12), Xander Zappas (12), and Aaron Graff (12). 

Varsity captain, Paxton Smith (12), states, “I am feeling pretty confident about this season. We have a pretty solid lineup and I think we can get a lot faster.” 

Two of the boys from the swim team have already committed to swimming for college. Xander Zappas (12) along with Paxton Smith (12) committed last semester.

Xander Zappas (12) is ranked one-hundred and twenty-fifth in California and has committed to Colorado Mesa University. Paxton Smith (12) is ranked one hundred and seven in California and has committed to Milligan University. 

The head coach of the boys varsity swim team is Coach Jon Puffer. Coach Puffer coaches both boys varsity swim and water polo while also being the world history teacher at Aliso.

Coach Puffer is ready for this season and excited to see what this season brings. Some upcoming meets that should be kept an eye on are against San Juan Hills High School and Tesoro High School.