The Bison swim team kicked off the season with a fantastic start, taking first place as a team in their opening meet at Warren G. Harding High School on Friday, Dec. 6.
Junior Colin Elwell took first place in boys 1 meter diving, and senior Kevin Zhang secured first place in the boys 50-yard freestyle, leading the team to impressive results in the first meet.
“Our 400-meter freestyle freestyle relay was 2 seconds away from the school record, which is really good this early into the season,” Elwell said.
The team went on to compete the following weekend at SPIRE on Dec. 13 and Solon on Dec. 14.
The Bison placed first place at SPIRE, with Beachwood swimmers winning first place in all individual events and relays that they were entered in. Zhang also broke the school record in 100 butterfly.
At the relay competition in Solon the boys placed 3rd behind D1 schools Solon and Hudson.
“We won almost every relay we swam,” junior Ben Keyerleber said.
The dominant performance at these early meets is a good sign for the season, and the team is diving in with high expectations.
Coach Brad Burget, who has been coaching at Beachwood for 15 years, focuses on maintaining a culture of excellence on the team.
“It’s about getting the athletes to mature and rise to the occasion to compete at the state level. That’s the hardest part,” he said.
The team’s goals this year are ambitious: securing another conference championship, becoming district runner-ups and breaking into the top five at states. For the girls team, which has experienced significant growth, the focus is on making a strong impression at districts.
The program’s recent success (four swimmers qualifying for states last year) has provided a roadmap for current athletes.
“We’ve had a good core of kids who trained with them,” Burget said. “Everyone sees what it took for Colin, Kevin, Derek and Ben, and they want the same thing.”
Burget emphasized that success comes from maturity and consistent habits: maintaining proper nutrition, sleep and managing academic responsibilities.
The team captains, Elwell, Zhang and junior Karina Krishnan each bring unique perspectives and goals. Elwell and Zhang, captains of the boys team, are determined to carry the momentum from last season. Elwell aims to place top eight in the 200 freestyle and lead the relays to a first-place finish at districts, while Zhang is focused on medaling in all four of his events at states.
Elwell and Zhang both emphasized the importance of teamwork and personal bests as measures of success.
“We’ve been undefeated in dual meets for two years, so keeping that up is a big goal,” Zhang said.
On the girls side, Krishnan leads an expanding team that has grown from just four members last year to ten this season. Her goals include qualifying for districts individually and helping the team excel in the CVC relay events.
“It’s monumental to see how much our team has grown,” she said. “You’ll see a lot of action from us this season.”
Both Coach Burget and the captains highlighted the importance of having a tight-knit team.
“They have to train together, feel the pain together, and push each other,” Burget explained.
Krishnan reiterated this point.
“We practice so many hours a week…. having teammates we like makes it better,” she said.
Looking ahead, the team is determined to stay healthy and motivated, applying lessons learned from last year.
“Seeing all the fast swimmers at states really makes you want to beat them next year,” Zhang said.
With a mix of strong leadership, growing talent and a culture of winning, Beachwood’s swim team is bound to make waves this season.
The team will compete next on Saturday, Dec. 21 at the CSU Viking Invitational.
