This article was written by Lauren Neidigh, a Bolles alum who currently swims for the University of Florida.
Take a closer look at the Bolles School dream team. Josh Booth, Santo Condorelli, Emiro Goossen, Ryan Murphy and Joseph Schooling broke 5 National High School Records Saturday at Florida’s 1A High School State Championship in three relays and two individual events. Here’s a guide to the leaders of this star-studded lineup and why they’re worth watching, not only as a group but individually.
In his final swim of the evening Saturday, future Cal Bear Ryan Murphy recorded a blazing 42.95 on the leadoff leg of their record-setting 400 free relay. This swim is made even more impressive by the fact that it followed a National Record in the 100 back prelims and 3 fast swims in finals. His 19.5 leadoff in the 200 free relay was similarly strong, almost matching Vladimir Morozov’s national record in the 50. But Murphy’s still digesting his recent success. “I was really surprised after the 100 back,” he said of his 45.3 in the morning swim that event. “I’m still kind of shocked at the meet I had.” He attributed his and the team’s success to hard training in the leadup to Olympic Trials earlier this year.
While Murphy was at a full taper for this meet, I still think he has a little more in him for December’s short course nationals. We haven’t seen him swim the 200 free, 200 IM, or 200 back yet this season, so I’d look for him to possibly break some NAG records there. That being said, I’m sure Murphy’s main focus will be on the world championships in Turkey. After watching him swim a 45.3 in the 100 back, I think he may be able to make his way up to the medals.
Joseph Schooling took down the 100 fly national record in 46.50, while Olympic gold medalist Anthony Nesty was in attendance to see Schooling break his 24 year old state record. According to Schooling, the team had their sights set high going into the meet. “We went to the meet wanting to set records that no one will break for a very long time,” he said. Schooling has experience on the international stage as well, having competed for Singapore in the 2012 Olympics under Bolles coach Sergio Lopez. Now that he’s made a statement on the local level, he turns his focus to Short Course World Championships and Junior National Championships–his flight arrangements with the Singapore National Team allow him to compete in both events. The 100 and 200 butterflier has potential to drop an amazing 200 fly at the junior meet.
Senior Emiro Goossen, who was a member of the record-breaking 200 free relay Saturday, will also be a swimmer to watch at juniors. The Trinidad National Team member boasts bests of 20.9 and 46.1 in the sprint freestyles, but also has potential in the 100 fly. Goossen will attend the University of Florida next year, and is certainly a team player. “It is honestly a privilege to be on a record breaking relay with 3 of the best high school swimmers ever,” he said of his performance on the 200 free relay at the state meet. “It makes me want to try even harder to be faster.”
Lopez loses Condorelli, Murphy, and Goossen to college next year, but juniors Schooling, Caeleb Dressel and Josh Booth will still be around. Dressel competed for Clay high school in the 3A state meet on Friday. He just missed just missing the state record of 44.04 with a 44.10 in the 100 free, still a very impressive time for a high schooler. His best in the 50 is 20.2. Booth is from Wales and this was his first year at Bolles. He swam the 200 free and 100 fly individually, but he can also swim a fast 50 and 100 freestyle (as demonstrated by his 44.6 split on the 400 free relay.) Both of these two have put themselves on the map and have the potential to be among the top of their recruiting class next year.
Lopez is the behind-the-scenes force in this talented lineup, and it’s clear the swimmers don’t take him for granted. “Sergio is an amazing coach, and I completely trust everything he tells me,” said Murphy. “He has played a huge role in my swimming success.” Goossen described him as many swimmers would their coaches, saying, “Coach Sergio is the only man I know that I can dislike and love at the same time.” One thing’s for sure, though: Lopez gets not only respect, but also results. All of these up and comers have the potential to show us even more than they already have.
I love him!(well not love love him). He is sooo fast! I really look up to him and want to beat his world records!
Wow…. A lot of distractive talk. Hard to believe from people who I know love our sport. Too bad.
Congratulations to my great friend Sergio Lopez and his coaching staff and swimmers. I have watched Sergio closer than anyone over his swimming and coaching career. We as a swimming community should embrace what he has done (Tuscon Ford-Arizona, Northwestern, West Virginia and now Bolles) and we should all learn from it. What his team did a couple of weeks ago was not luck, recruiting or the fact that he is at a “boarding school”.
He has proven himself time and time again to be one of the best coaches on the planet. Of course, I would say that, but… Read more »
Hi Roque!
Good to hear from you, even if it’s indirectly. Seeing your comment brings me back to your post race interview at the 1992 Trials, when you were overjoyed to be going to Barcelona with your friends and training partners. A sweet memory. That’s what it’s all about.
Miss seeing you and Debbie at the Masters meets. We won’t run into each other there anymore, but I’m exhibiting at a museum in San Jose next year. If you’re going to be around, you’re invited. Sorry to post such a personal message here, but I don’t have your e-mail address anymore.
Cheers!
Bill
Recruiting is against USA Swimming and HS swimming rules, so “reaching out to swimmers” on other teams is illegal. IF kids are being recruited to Bolles and are getting scholarships to boot, they are violating some major sanctions as these infractions would get Bolles in serious trouble.
The Bolles School offers a strong academic program alongside a great sports program with an awesome swim coach staff. Anyone with a good student who is passionate about swimming would explore that opportunity for their child. That is not recruiting – that is a fantastic product. Thank you, Lauren, for the nice article about the “dream team” and thank you, Christian, for your openness and contributions to the swim team. As for Sergio and the rest of the crew on deck, Christian hit the nail on the head!
They aren’t being recruited. Take it from a captain of the state champ team. Enough said.
I don’t understand what the big deal is. Bolles is a private school and has a great swimming program. If promising swimmers want to go there to get better, it’s okay with me. Kids go to other private schools to get better in a variety of sports and get noticed by college coaches.
If the coaching staff at Bolles reaches out to swimmers, so what?
It’s done in football, basketball, baseball, hockey etc……….
Does Bolles allow the “recruited” kids to go to school for free? I don’t know, but if they are paying the same amount to attend as the other students, why all the complaining?
Sounds like this Bill V has an axe to grind with Bolles. Most of… Read more »
Actually, knowing what the dividends likely would be, I worry about people who make a big investment in the sport of swimming. But I don’t worry too much. They’ll figure it out for themselves, as I did. And you’re right- there are much more important things to worry about.
Good luck!
isn’t it great, here’s an american product that people from all around the world come to because it’s the best! we should all be proud! also, the facilities truly SUCK!! pool is old and slow, lockers disgusting, no deck space, scoreboard doesn’t work…..
Sergio dosen’t recruit. But, he is given some of the best developed talent in the world for 18 and under. He is doing the same thing Gregg Troy and the coaches of Bolles did before. Bolles isn’t the same as the average club team that gets the avg kid from down the street. Many of his swimmers were the best age group swimmers ever (Condorelli/Murphy/Schooling) before they got to Bolles. So Sergio is doing a good job making the great greater, but I’m not sure he is any better than the club coach who has started out with the avg state level kids and helped them achieve Jr national cuts etc. He simply gets more recognition bc his starting point… Read more »
Some closing thoughts from my end of the discussion.
(and BTW Christian, I was serious about sending those pictures of Borges to you, or anyone at Bolles who may want them for the history files)
At some point, there may need to be a discussion about where Bolles stands in the world of high school swimming. The facility is better than most collegiate facilities. The coaching staff is as good as most collegiate programs. The head coach is NCAA Division I quality, and the team could probably crack the top ten at Division I NCAAs.
Bolles resembles a collegiate program much more than a high school swim team. There are a handful of other schools that operate more like… Read more »
There is a good balance between academics
and athletics..I assure you! The kids take
challenging classes and are well represented on
the honor roll and All-American awards. They could
use a little sleep though….often studying late
to get those grades. Most alum say Bolles
prepared them well.
Here are my closing thoughts:
1. Bill Volckening is a bitter old troll
2. Bill Volckening vastly overstates his role in the great Peddie teams of the 90s
3. He has come on to this website to denigrate the results of a GREAT coach and GREAT kids because of some personal bitterness he his holding onto from the mid 90s
4. We all need to stop feeding this troll.
Let’s all take the rhetoric down a notch, ehh?
Well, Chas, nice to hear from you, too. I’d say there’s a whole lot you don’t know, and there are a few things I don’t know, such as why the most dominant 12-year-old in the history of USA Swimming didn’t make the Olympics. Maybe he should’ve gone to Bolles.
he probably should have
What does a 12 year old swimmer have to do with any of this? What kind of sick adult gets his kicks talking shit about 12 year olds online?
Well, that was a big, precarious leap, but I’ll still apologize for calling you a washed-up age-grouper. Have a good day. 🙂
This is so out of line, I can’t even begin to craft a response…
I’ll take a crack anyhow… Bill- thanks for whatever you contributed to swimming in the past… but you should stick to your quilting circles as your thoughts on swimming are laced with bitterness and anger, and are unwelcome and unwanted here.
You’re right, although the concept of collecting swimmers in high school programs is something I’ve known since 1980. I don’t follow the news as closely as I once did, but I do enjoy SwimSwam’s coverage.
Kudos to Lauren Neidigh, who has been a very good sport throughout this whole discussion. Keep writing, Lauren, you’re good at it.
Great article. A good read and we can’t get enough news about a team that reloads with champs like a shark grows new teeth! Plus, no coach “collects” quality athletes without having the same level of integrity and character; regardless of venue.