John Jay/Fox Lane relay team takes 9th place at states

BEDFORD, N.Y. - The John Jay/Fox Lane 400 freestyle relay team knew they’d be swimming at states very early on. 

Jack Tsai, Aidan Polese, Thomas Brown and Spencer Grayson swam the qualifying time in the first meet, and not holding back, the foursome continued to get down to business throughout. 

“We all understand our job, and what times we need to get,” said Polese. As a result, the formula worked for the postseason - even if it was a little unexpected.

“In the previous year, we didn’t podium at all, so we showed a big improvement,” the junior said of the team’s ninth-place finish at states on March 9.

Second place in the sectionals wasn’t bad either.  

“I like that we got a chance to win big,” said Jack Tsai.

In the lead-off spot, the freshman admits it’s always difficult to have the edge come off. 

“I can be a little anxious,” the John Jay Wolf revealed.

The remedy does emerge, though. “I tell myself, it’s one race, and just get off the block,” he explained.

Hitting the water helps too, but the waiting game started long before shots were fired in Ithaca. On the bus, Section One spent four hours getting to the meet. 

“Some people slept, others were on their phones, and we all talked,” said Polese.

On arrival, the quartet were far from fish out of water. 

“We went to the pool first, just to get a feel for it,” said the Wolf.

From there, they got some groceries and settled in for the night. At the pool by 8:30, Polese wasn’t just awakened by the early rise.

“I’ve been to a lot of championships, but the vibe here was really different,” he said.

Five hours to take it in, Polese at least had his time occupied during day one. The swimmer participated in the 200 and 500 free, where he took 16th and 15th respectively.

Polese was not alone on an individual basis. Brown took 14th in the 100 butterfly and 22nd 100back, Spencer Greyson finished 25th in the 100 free, Ryan Loveless was 4th in the 500, and Andrew Acocella was 40th.

Tsai didn’t have the luxury of an extra race so he was forced to bide patiently. “I talked to teammates, looked at my phone and used the warmup pool,” he said.

As it turned out, the idle time did not create a lag.  Tsai swam a personal best for the first leg, and Polese held the team’s place.

Even so, the spectator part was pretty trying. 

“It was kind of tense, because we had to drop time from our previous best time,” said Polese.

The boom lowered, tenth place was the result.  Good for the last spot, it was back to the hotel and distraction was the game plan.

“We didn’t talk about the race much,” said Polese.

Less time the next day for chatter, Tsai remained just as mum and kept his thoughts contained. 

“It’s the last race, let’s go out, swim fast and go home,” he conveyed his inner monologue.

Matching his best from the day before, the Wolf left his team in 8th place, and Polese did more than maintain. 

“I made us move up a place,” he said.

Thomas Brown held it down too, but Spencer Grayson had his hands full. “They were just faster,” said Polese.

No complaints from the ninth spot, the podium was a little more tenuous. “It was hard, because the coaches all wanted us to get in frame, so we kept moving around,” said Polese.

The ordeal over, celebration in Ithaca awaited. Not quite, joked Polese, “There’s not much to do there,” and it was off for home.

A day or two off maybe, Polese swims for the Ridgefield Aquatic Club. “Next weekend I have a meet,” Polese redirected.

Alongside the varsity finish, the grind is all part of the process. 

“I just hope we keep the momentum we have now into next year, and we maybe get a better placing,” concluded Polese.