AMHERST — Noah Labich stood at the midway point of the pool and punched the air in unison with the strokes of his Amherst Regional teammates during a swim meet against Central, Friday.
As some his fellow swimmers kicked off the wall and made the turn, he continued to throw his fist in the air and throw out words of encouragement.
He was having fun, and having fun is a big part of why he decided to re-join the Hurricanes this season after a two-year absence.
The senior swam for the Hurricanes during his freshman year, but left the program for the Bluefish Swim Club in Easthampton. He wanted to improve on his times and pursue the possibility of competing in college.
Now that he’s committed to compete for Williams College next year, he’s had more free time and has devoted it to the Hurricanes and going out with a strong senior campaign.
“This year I felt like having some fun,” Labich said. “It’s my senior year, so I thought I’d swim high school and have a blast, which I am.”
Labich has been an integral piece this winter. In his first season back with the team, he has set school records in the 100-yard butterfly (51.22 seconds) and the 100 backstroke (52.46). He has also qualified for the Division 2 state championships in every individual event. He plans on swimming the 200 individual medley and 100 butterfly at the Central-West championships and state championships.
Against Central, Labich won the 50 freestyle in 22.59 seconds and the 100 fly in 52.14. He swam on a winning 200 medley relay (1:50.59) with Jacob Laney, Evander Maradiaga and Eric Lian. His 400 free relay with Lian, Callum McDonald and Laney won in 3:40.84. Amherst won the meet, 119-49, at Amherst Regional Middle School.
“He’s a really good swimmer,” Amherst coach Jennifer Albertine said. “He’s outstanding, not just in the water but on the deck. He’s such a leader and is really inclusive of all the kids on the team, no matter what their swimming ability is. He’s constantly giving pointers and raising the team’s spirit.”
Swimming at the club level can be grueling. There are practices every day and the training is intense. At the club level, the importance of individual times is heightened compared to the high school level, where the performance of the team is important.
“It’s a different atmosphere,” Labich said. “In high school it’s a lot more racing the race for the win instead of racing for a time, which is a lot of what club swimming is about. It’s a lot more of a team sport than club swimming.”
Labich has been able to bring his experience from club swimming to the Amherst program and has used it to help other swimmers.
“This year he helped me a lot with my butterfly,” said Hopkins Academy senior Alvin Li, who swims for Amherst through a cooperative agreement. “I had a bad habit on my butterfly where I would glide after I’d get in. He really tried to get me to swim continuously. I ended up dropping a lot of time thanks to him.”
Li and Amherst sophomore Sara Baxter also competed on the Blue Fish with Labich.
The Hurricanes’ meet with Central was Amherst’s senior night. Labich was recognized alongside fellow seniors Vianka Acosta-McKenzie, Cody Cousland, Noelle Karlovich and Li. Senior Davide Rotunno was not in attendance due to illness.
Each senior was honored with a speech from another member of the program. Baxter gave the speech for Labich.
She spoke about his ability to consistently keep a positive attitude and how he serves as a role model for those in the program.
“He’s so dedicated to the sport. He’s really encouraging,” Baxter said. “He makes me want to swim faster.”
Labich appreciated the individual praise, but to him, it’s all about the team.
“I love the team,” Labich said. “The team makes people go fast. You have to stay involved. Relays, I find, are when I swim the fastest. … When you swim for the team, you go fast.”