This week’s notebook highlights Bensalem, CB West and Cheltenham swimmers/divers. To view photos of Thursday’s Tennent/Hatboro-Horsham meet, please visit the Photo Gallery.
National Conference
McDonald looking to lead Owls - Matt McDonald got into swimming on a whim.
“My freshman year a few friends told me to try swimming,” said the Bensalem senior. “One week went by, two weeks went by and on the last day of intramurals, I show up and I made it. I had swim lessons as a kid and I guess that helped me.”
He is one of the few to swim for four years for the Owls.
“I do feel the pressure to be more of a leader on this team because I’m a senior and because I’ve been with the team for my whole high school career,” he said.
McDonald was among the top finishers for the Owls at last year’s conference championships, taking 18th in the 500 freestyle (5:35.02) and 19th in the 100 freestyle (55.16).
He also led off the seventh place 200 medley relay (1:54.10) and anchored the seventh place 400 freestyle relay (3:47.31).
“My goal this year is to improve my times as much as I can,” he said.
Bensalem’s program has been struggling in recent years.
“Our team is really small and it has been since I’ve been here, so losing dual meets isn’t frustrating because we’re used to it,” he said. “We don’t go into a meet with the mindset that we can win it and we accept that. We’re focusing on doing our best and improving.
“We do have more numbers this year and that’s going to help us score more points.”
McDonald is hoping to swim in college and is considering a major in engineering.
“I’m looking at Goucher College and talking to the coach,” he said. “I’d love to swim in college.”
Continental Conference
Kramar aiming high - Central Bucks West sophomore Paige Kramar knows what her goals are this season.
Last year Kramar finished eighth at the SOL Continental Conference championships in the 100 butterfly. She was a District One Class AAA qualifier in that event.
“This year I hope to make it to districts in the fly again and the backstroke,” she said. “I want to make the automatic times and not the consideration times, and I’m also shooting for the individual medley. I want to have choices.”
No matter what this season brings, Kramar feels she can handle it.
“Last year as a freshman everything was so new to me,” she said. “This year I felt that I was more prepared for the season. I swim at Central Bucks Swim Club and that’s helped me to not be as tired. I feel that I’m really able to handle the training this year more than I was last year.
“Last year was definitely a learning experience for me. This year I have more confidence.
“I also feel that I know my teammates better and that’s really important. I try to help the freshmen and make them feel at home the way I was helped and made to feel at home when I was a freshman.”
She enjoys being part of the Bucks.
“Three of my best friends, Hannah Blaser, Quinn MacMiillan and Collette Strong, are on the team and that makes it so much fun,” she said. “I really love this team. It’s small and it’s like a family. Everyone is comfortable with each other and you’re free to say whatever you think.”
She also believes the Bucks can make some noise in the very competitive Continental Conference.
“I’ve been really looking forward to this season because I think our team has a lot of potential,” she said. “We’re so close knit and supportive of each other and we’ll continue to improve as the season goes on.”
American Conference
Werner looking to make a splash - Matt Werner is hoping to make a splash this year.
And he is certainly capable of it.
The Cheltenham freshman is already making a name for himself as a contender in diving.
“I really want to qualify for states,” he said. “That’s my big goal. I know my competition, and I think it’s a reachable goal for me.
“There’s a few guys at the top but after that there’s 10 or11 of us who could get those other state spots so I think I can be in the mix.”
He began diving as a fifth grader.
“I always liked diving,” he said. “Whenever I was at a pool I would try to do flips and thing
s off the side of it so my mom thought I should go into diving, and she signed me up for SAL (Suburban Aquatic League) at Springfield. She figured it was safer than diving off the side of the pool.”
From there, Werner just took off.
“It was a good choice for me,” he said. “I really enjoy it, and I’ve improved a lot over the last few years.”
He is excited to be a part of the varsity squad at Cheltenham.
“I’m a freshman so I wasn’t here last year but from what I’ve heard we only had about eight swimmers and one diver,” he said. “I didn’t understand what that meant until we started doing meets and I realized how many people you need to fill all the events.
“The team is so much bigger this year and that’s going to help us score more points.”
Werner contributes as a swimmer, mostly in sprint freestyle events.
“I can only do a 50 free because I get tired,” he said. “I don’t train for swimming; I train for diving. But I’ll help out where I can, and I think they appreciate having that extra person for a relay.
“I’m really enjoying being on the high school team and hopefully I’ll finish off the year strong.”
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