5:30 pm: the buzzer sounded, and six swimmers dove off the blocks in the first event of the night, kicking off the NIAA Division 2 state championships on February 14th.
This year, both the Oyster River High School (ORHS) girls’ and boys’ swim teams had incredibly strong performances at the state championship meet, placing second and third respectively.
A few notable top 6 performances in the pool included Eleanora Gelsey-Drees (‘27) in the 500-yard freestyle, Una Bleckmann (‘25) in the 200-yard freestyle, Keegan Johnson (‘25) in the 200-yard freestyle, Ben Phillips (‘28) in the 200-yard individual medley (IM) and 200-yard backstroke, and Ollie Lehman (‘27) in the 200-yard freestyle and 500-yard freestyle. Additionally, both teams finished within the top 6 in multiple relays, landing them a spot on the podium.
On the divers’ side, Greta Parks (‘26) and River Walker (‘25) each placed first in their respective events, with Maya Harwood (‘28) coming in third in the women’s 1-meter diving.
The girls’ team, coming off two undefeated seasons, rose to the occasion at states, despite missing a few valuable teammates. “We had a few people who couldn’t [compete] so our goal was to do the best with what we had,” says Bleckmann.
On the other side, the boys ended the night with an impressive third place finish, despite having only five swimmers who qualified for the state meet. Lehman says, “We honestly weren’t expecting to place top 3 because almost all the other teams had so many more people.”
The swim team is coached by Bill Reeves who spoke to the team’s resilience and hard work throughout the challenges this season presented. “I wanted the team to come together as a group and see how well we could place overall… I knew that there was a chance we could be top 3 on either side,” he says.
In the end, the team walked away successful after a long night of swimming despite the added challenge of New Hampshire weather. The promise of a snowstorm over the weekend pushed the meet to Friday night as opposed to the originally scheduled time on Saturday. “Everybody did a good job supporting each other and pushing through especially with all the weather changes,” says Reeves.
Riley Duggan (‘26) credits the team’s success to their supportive team environment. “We don’t act like [separate] girls’and boys’ teams. We’re always cheering for each other; it doesn’t matter who’s swimming… we feel like one team.”
Similarly, Bleckmann highlights how the interconnectedness of the team is a driving factor of their strong performances. “Our team does a really good job of supporting each other. There’s never a race where there aren’t people cheering at the end of the lane.”
Not only were the ORHS swim team’s races strong at the state meet, but so was their spirit. Johnson, one of the team captains, speaks to their bond and collective humor saying, “our biggest strength as a team is our ability to cheer each other on and encourage each other like ‘you got this dude, you’re gonna be fine… just don’t drown!’”
The team continually supported and encouraged each other not only at the divisional championships last Friday, but throughout the entire season. They hope to return next year, just as strong.
-Jahrie Houle
Images courtesy of Isabella Sharpe
Mouth of the River 
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