It’s that time of year again when Sahuaro’s swim team is well into their season! The boys and girls swim team has seen a lot of success over the years – winning two state championships, numerous state champions, and state record holders even producing two Olympic medalists.
The team is currently being coached by Dave Kruszewski and his wife Jenny. Dave has been coaching swim for 24 years, Jenny for 27 years, and they have been coaching as a husband-and-wife team at Sahuaro for 10 years. “I enjoy coaching with Jenny,” Dave expressed. “I usually just agree with her. My wife is the boss. She’s the swimming expert so I support her.”
They have been lucky enough to coach all four of their sons on the team over the years. This year, their youngest son, Andrew Kruszewski, is returning for his second year on the team as a sophomore; he has big hopes for not only himself but also for the team. “For myself, I’m hoping to qualify for state again,” Andrew said. “For the team, I’m hoping that our new swimmers like the sport and will come back next year so that the team can grow and become a big name in the sport.” Andrew said being coached by his parents is, “…pretty handy. With my parents’ coaching, I can get more insight on plans for the team and I can convey information between the coaches and the swimmers significantly better.” Similarly, Coach Dave also enjoys coaching his sons. “It’s awesome,” he remarked. “I think it’s a blessing. I think they listen to the other coaches a little bit more because they aren’t their parents, but we’ve got a couple of really awesome assistant coaches including Coach Lopez, the science teacher. He’s a volunteering coach for us and he’s really great.”
This year the swim team has 17 total members: 9 boys and 8 girls, which is notably fewer members than the team used to have in years prior. Dave explains, “Swim was extremely popular and we had a huge team every year until COVID. We have a small team this year, but we’re hoping it rebounds next year and we can recruit some more swimmers. But for as small as our team is, we’ve got a bunch of great kids and the swimmers we have are awesome.”
Senior Valerie Juarez is also returning for her second year on the team. She stated, “The practices are incredibly hard but the coaches make it fun. Jenny and Dave are amazing coaches and they always encourage you. I accomplished so much last year and the team is really close with each other. I’m really proud of our team and how hardworking everyone is.”
With two swim meets already under their belt, the swim team is preparing for their next meet, an away game against Desert View and Rincon on Thursday, September 14th. Practices are all week at Udall Park’s pool – Mondays, Tuesdays, and Fridays are from 3:45-5:15, Wednesdays are from 3:00-4:45 and Thursdays are meet days.
This season is looking very promising for Sahuaro’s swim team. If you like to swim and have a competitive side to you, look into joining the team. If you prefer to sit back and watch, come out to the meets and support the team!
