Sussex Academy swim teams expect to continue tradition of winning

Jan. 24, 2020 – that is the last time the Sussex Academy girls’ swim team lost a dual meet.

Following that 83-87 loss to Caesar Rodney, the Seahawks have rattled off 42 straight wins. 

“It's my last year, so I'm excited to keep the streak going,” said senior Addi McKay. “We're looking to defend our eight years of winning the conference meet, and five years undefeated, so we're looking to have a good season.”

McKay and Lyla Baker are the only two seniors on the team. Two-time state champion Gracie Maughan is at Rhode Island, but her sister Gretchen had a strong eighth-grade year, and Anna Mumford won the 500-yard freestyle as a freshman at the DIAA championships. 

“We're really strong; we did lose some valuable swimmers, but we have plenty of girls,” McKay said. “[Coach Tom Martiner] is really good at picking the events for everyone to go in.”

On the boys’ side, the Seahawks reclaimed their Henlopen South title from Indian River last year. Like the girls’ team, the boys’ squad features two seniors – Jaxon Laux and Matthew Perchiniak – and has a few promising underclassmen. Freshman John Bain came on strong in the 500 freestyle last year, and junior Christian Wright can be a sight to behold in the pool. Laux is also pretty quick in the lanes, especially in the freestyle and breaststroke.

Perchiniak believes the boys have the same goal that’s been in place since he joined the team. 

“We know Cape is going to be a powerhouse – they have a ton of kids – but our goal is to win the Southern Division, like it always is,” Perchiniak said. “We’ve got to beat teams like Indian River and Lake Forest, but that's the goal.”

The Seahawks will take off Friday, Dec. 6, with an away meet against Sussex Tech.