The boys’ swim senior night meet was against Mill Valley High School, De Soto High School and a combined team of Paola, Springhill, Louisburg and Osawatomie High Schools. After the diving portion and 50-meter freestyle race, senior Ben Deardorff was recognized as the only senior on the team.
Deardorff said he felt excited to be recognized and partake in the boy’s swim team senior night activities.
“I was excited, I’ve seen three generations of seniors come before me. We do a thing where all the boys walk through this tunnel of people,” Deardorff said.
Similarly, head coach Kyle Farrington said along with excitement there is also a bittersweet feeling surrounding senior night.
“It’s a lot of fun to acknowledge those seniors but at the same time, we have to come to terms with the fact that next year we’re going to have to do without those seniors,” Farrington said.
He went on to say that Deardorff is extremely talented, both inside and outside of the pool.
“When it’s somebody like Ben, who’s so accomplished academically and also has had such strong seasons, it’s gonna be tough to say goodbye,” Farrington said.
Deardorff has been swimming for various club swim teams and the BVNW boys’ swim team for seven years. He said he got into swimming because of his family, inspired by his grandpa, a high school swim coach, and his father, who swam throughout middle school and high school.
Farrington said Deardorff has set a different tone for the team this year as the only senior, creating a laid-back and supportive atmosphere for the team that is all about being with his teammates and enjoying time with them as well as engaging in friendly competitions together.
“He’s a really great role model just because number one, he’s a National Merit semifinalist, his GPA is incredibly high, he’s a really hard worker and he’s also just like a really fantastic teammate,” Farrington said. “So it’ll be really tough shoes to fill.”
