Congratulations to the Duanesburg/Berne-Knox-Westerlo girls varsity swim team on winning a sectional championship title this weekend at the Shenendehowa Aquatic Center! Duanesburg/BKW finished the tournament with 343 points, ahead of much larger teams like Mohonasen/Schalmont (309 points) and Queensbury (298 points).
Coach Walter Armstrong commended the team’s strong work ethic, dedication and determination in winning the swim team’s first-ever sectional title.
“Sectional titles don’t come easy,” Coach Armstrong said. “These girls worked really, really hard and went up against some really tough competition to bring home this championship.”
Armstrong is also hopeful that the impressive win will help recruit younger athletes in the district to participate on the swim team in the future.
“We started the year with 12 swimmers. For Saturday’s finals, we had ten girls competing, so we were one of the smallest teams in the tournament,” he said. “We’re losing three strong seniors this year and another five after next year, so we’re hopeful that girls at the elementary and junior high level will be interested in joining the swim team and helping to carry on a winning legacy.”
Prior to COVID, the girls varsity swim team practiced at the Duanesburg YMCA. Since the closing of that facility, the district has had to rent practice time for the team at Mohonasen High School in Rotterdam.
Since the combined swim team’s inception four years ago, Armstrong says they have “improved dramatically,” starting with a 3-4 record in their first year – to a Colonial Council runner-up title last year – to a 5-1 record this year and a very impressive sectional championship.
Any student-athlete interested in joining the girls swim team for 2022 should contact Duanesburg’s Athletic Director, Catie Wilson.
