CAMBRIDGE — Wayland’s boys swimming and diving team won the MIAA Division 2 state title for the second year in a row at the Zesiger Sports and Fitness Center on the MIT campus on Sunday.
The Warriors finished the meet with a team score of 291 points, edging out Dual County League rival Weston, which finished with 263 points.
“I’m just elated right now,” Wayland coach Mike Foley said. “We graduated a lot of seniors last year and a lot of people wrote us off, predicting we wouldn’t be as good. This year’s seniors didn’t though. They really rallied these troops, brought the underclassmen along, and worked harder to get here. We had a lot of young guys who swam today who didn’t last year in this spot, but really contributed. We have our top line guys but a lot of depth which is extremely important.”
The Warriors won several events, including 200-yard individual medley, won by Kevin Jia (1:56.53), the 50-yard freestyle won by Luke Kroncke (21.69), the 100-yard freestyle also won by Kroncke (47.61) and the 400-yard relay (3:16.85). Wayland also got top four finishes in the 200-yard medley relay and the 100-yard breaststroke.
Both Wayland and Weston have dominated the Div. 2 scene historically, with both of them combining for the last 14 state titles. Foley was a star at Weston and was coached by his father, Peter. Flash forward to today, and Foley is coaching his son Ryan, who helped contribute to that win. Three generations of Foleys are now cemented among some of the best swimming family dynasties the state has ever seen.
“My dad was my coach back in the day at Weston, and now we have that big rivalry with my alma mater, but we all get along and it’s just great to experience another state title with my dad being here and Ryan as well,” Foley said. “Last year my older son was on that championship team, Ryan was too but he didn’t score any points in the title, but this year he did and helped us out. It’s just awesome.”
The younger Foley, who contributed four points from his placement in the 100 backstroke, also reflected on the family lineage and how his role has expanded with the program.
“We have a lot of excitement going on here; there is a conga line going behind me right now,” Ryan Foley said after his team claimed the title. “It’s just a great feeling. It’s a different feeling this year now that I was able to contribute, and it’s something to build off. I know that my family has done this before, and they have experienced the same hardships and milestones, so it’s great to have that type of support around me.”
