2019 - 2020

AUGUST 2020

8/21/20: Both
Girls' and Boys'
teams ranked
Top 5 in the U.S.

The National Interscholastic
Swim Coaches' Association
(NISCA) released their
annual team rankings of 
high school teams from 
across the nation.  The
GLOWS ranked third in the
US for schools with
enrollments under 900.
The girls have been in 
the top five for 8 of the 
last 10 years and were
National Champs in 2015.
The Weston Boys team was ranked fifth in the
country.  The squad has
been in the national top five
for 20 straight seasons and
had won the competition
five times, most recently
in back-to-back fashion,
​in 2013 and 2014.
2019-2020 Weston High Girls Swimming & Diving Team - 3rd in the US
2019-2020 Weston High Boys Swimming & Diving Team - 4th in the country

JULY 2020

7/2/20: NISCA announces
2020 Diving All-America list,
​Martinkus is two-for-two

The National Interscholastic Swim Coaches'
Association (NISCA) released their
2020 All-America Team.  Composed of just
the top 100 divers from across the country,
sophomore Charlotte Martinkus was named
to the squad for the second consecutive year.
Just ten GLOWS have been named All-America
and Martinkus is one of only two to have
multiple selections.  (Eliza Butts, WHS '06
was a three-time honoree.)

JUNE 2020

6/30/20: NISCA announces 2020
Academic All-America honorees -
five team members are named

The National Interscholastic Swim Coaches'
Association (NISCA) announced their 2020
Academic All-America list.  To be named to the
group, athletes must have a CUM GPA of
3.75, or higher, over four years in high school,
and score points in the State Meet.  This year,
two girls - Katheryn Milligan and Grazi Vezza -
and three boys - Aidan Chen, Austin Gu, and
​BenGuzovsky - made the list.
Aidan Chen and Austin Gu
Katheryn Milligan and Grazi Vezza
Ben Guzovsky

MAY 2020

Senior Katheryn Milligan with the
2020 Peter J. Foley 
Student/Athlete of the Year Award
Head Coach Claude Valle
was recognized with the 
2020 Jack McDonald Award

5/17/20: EMISCA recognizes
​members of the Tide

The Eastern Mass. Swim Coaches Association
(EMISCA) had to cancel their 2020
end-of-year banquet due to COVID.
Despite this, the organization recognized
four members of the 2019-2020 squad.
Senior Katheryn Milligan was given the
Peter J. Foley Student-Athlete of the Year Award.
Named in honor of Weston's first coach,
Pete Foley, it is given annually to the top
student-athlete in the sport in Massachusetts.
On her way to Harvard, Milligan is a four-time
All-Scholastic selection.  Team photographers
Julia and Alex Schowtka were selected
as Meritorious Service Award winners for their
many contributions to the team.  Alex (a 1984 Olympic silver-medalist) is also a volunteer coach.
Head Coach Claude Valle was cited with the
Jack McDonald Award, given for a career of
contributions to the sport of swimming and diving.
Valle retired this season after 36 ​years
​of high school coaching.
L to R: Alex, Leonie, and Julia Schowtka.
The Schowtkas were cited with a 2020 Meritorious Service Award
​for their many contributions to the program.

APRIL 2020

4/12/20: Boston Globe names winter All-Scholastic Teams:
six Weston Swimmers and Divers make the squad
and Martinkus is Division 2 Girls Athlete of the Year.

Picture

MARCH 2020

3/17/20: Head Coach Claude Valle announces retirement,
Assistant Jim McLaughlin named next leader of the program.

Picture
Long-time Weston Coach Claude Valle (above, right) announced his retirement
after 37 years of high school coaching, the last 32 at Weston.
(19 seasons as assistant to the legendary Pete Foley, and 13 as Head Coach.)
Valle is a 2015 NFHS National Boys High School Coach of the Year
and a 2004 Disney Corporation National Math Teacher of the Year.
McLaughlin (above, left) is the Weston High School Math Department Head
and has been the top Assistant in the Weston program for the last 12 years.
He has been recognized by Eastern Massachusetts Swim Coaches' Association
as an Assistant Coach of the Year on several occasions.

FEBRUARY 2020

2/15/20 & 2/16/20: Both girls' and boys' team
take Fourth-place at MIAA D2 State Championships

On Saturday, February 15 (girls), and Sunday, February 16 (boys),
Weston competed in the MIAA D2 State Championships at Boston University.
Both team had a series of impressive performances to finish fourth, overall.
It was the 23rd consecutive finish in the top five for The GLOWS at the event
while for the boys is was their 34th straight top-four placing at the State Meet.
Picture
2020 Weston High School Girls Swimming and Diving State Team
Picture
2020 Weston High School Boys Swimming and Diving State Team

2/8/20 & 2/9/20: Weston competes
in North Sectional Championships at MIT

On Saturday, February 8, (girls) and on Sunday, February 9, (boys)
both squads participated in the MIAA North Sectional Swimming and
Diving Championships.  The GLOWS took 3rd, overall, while the boys
grabbed eighth.  Both teams saw many ​personal best performances with the girls
​winning four events and setting one new ​freshman, varsity, and meet record.
Picture
Weston's 2020 Girls North Sectional Team

​WESTON SECTIONAL EVENT WINNERS
L to R, Lara Moukaddem, Katheryn Milligan,
Kate Handley, Ainsley Nalen, and Charlotte Martinkus.
Martinkus won the one-meter diving event while the
other four combined to win the 200-yard Free Relay.
In addition, Nalen won the 500 Free and
Handley struck gold in the 100 Breaststroke,
setting a North Sectional Meet Record, and
Weston's freshman and varsity records, in 1:04.46.
Picture
The 2020 Boys North Sectional Squad

2/7/20: Boston Globe
highlights Martinkus-Thompson
​relationship

In a February 7th article in
the Boston Globe Sports section,
Andrew Lin wrote about
the athlete/mentor relationship
between sophomore Charlotte Martinkus
and Diving Coach Mikaela Thompson,
in the wake of Martinkus breaking
a pair of Thompson's Weston records.
Picture
The 2020 Weston Girls' DCL Team
L to R, DCL Champions
Charlotte Martinkus (diving),
Ainsley Nalen (50 Free), and
Katheryn Milligan (100 Free).

2/2/20: Weston's
Girls and Boys compete at
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
​in the Dual County League
Championship Meet

On Sunday, February 2, the Weston High
Girls and Boys Swimming and Diving Teams
competed in the 2020 DCL Championships.
With the girls racing in the morning and
the boys in the afternoon, the two squads
​combined for more than 100 best times.
Picture
Weston's 2020 DCL Boys' Team  had a whopping 70 best times.

JANUARY 2020

1/28/20: Milligan becomes
GLOWS' all-time
​leading scorer

After a win in the 50 Free
on 1/28, Katheryn Milligan
surpassed Steph Wake ('05)
to become Weston's all-time
leading female scorer.
Stephanie Wake
Katheryn Milligan and her mother, Tracey.
Front, L to R: Angad Jasuja, Ben Zeng, Aidan Chen, Drew Aggouras,
Josh Wecker, Ben Guzovsky, and Alex Ding.  (Missing - Austin Gu.)
Rear, L to R: Grazi Vezza, Anissa Zhang, Leonie Schowtka,
​Katheryn Milligan, and Sarah O'Sullivan.

1/24/20: Tide
bids farewell to
twelve seniors

On Friday, January 24,
the team recognized
their seniors prior to
​the Medfield dual meet.

1/24/20: Martinkus
sets new Pool & Varsity mark
​for six-dive format

In the Medfield dual meet on Friday, 1/24,
sophomore Charlotte Martinkus
set a new Pool and Varisty Record
for six dives off the one-meter board.
Her total of 361.25 points eclipsed
both marks (340.80 and 359.50)
that were previous held by
Mikaela Thompson (WHS '15),
​who is now her high school coach.
The top two female divers in Weston history:
current sophomore Charlotte Martinkus 
​and current coach Mikaela Thompson.

1/21/20: Nalen impresses
​in 500 Free

In the Newton South meet, sophomore
Ainsley Nalen raced to a 5:12.79
in the 500-yard Freestyle,
​good for sixth on Weston's all-time list.

1/14/20: GLOWS Medley
​blasts to a 1:50.65 clocking

In the Concord-Carlisle meet,
the combine of Ainsley Nalen,
Kate Handley, Katheryn Milligan,
and Lara Moukaddem raced to a
time of 1:50.65 - good for
seventh on the all-time Weston list.
Katheryn Milligan (left) and Kate Handley (right)
enjoy a moment after an impressive medley relay

DECEMBER 2019

12/18/19: Weston and Wayland
​join forces to support Camp Casco

With admissions collected at their 12/18 match up, the Weston and Wayland teams
donated approx. $1,000 to Camp Casco in the name of Ellie Levine.  Ellie is the
daughter of Weston HS Swimmer ('92) and current Wayland Selectman Doug Levine.
Picture
The Weston and Wayland teams gather as one, following their December 18 pairing.
Kate Handley

12/18/19: Handley sets
new Rookie Record


On Wednesday, December 18,
in the Weston-Wayland dual meet,
freshman Kate Handley established a
new Freshman Record in the
100-yard breaststroke.  Her time of
1:06.18 broke the previous mark of
1:10.00 set by Jacey Hinton in 2017.

12/18/19: Martinkus
​scores 330.83 for six dives

In the Weston-Wayland match up,
sophomore Charlotte Martinkus
​totaled a new personal best of 330.83 points
in the one-meter diving.
The score moved her into second
on the all-time Weston list
behind her current high school coach,
Mikaela Thompson.
Thompson scored 359.50 points in 2015
​to set the school record in the event.

NOVEMBER 2019

11/25/19: Nickerson qualifies for
​NCAA Zone A at B.C.

Weston High School Alumni
Dale Nickerson (WHS Class of 2019)
qualified for the NCAA Zone A Meet.
Now a freshman at Boston College,
Nickerson earned the qualification 
while performaing at the 
​2019 Terrier Invitational.

11/23/19: Schwallie
​sets Pool Mark
​for 3-meter event

With a total of 472.80 points,
Carnegie Mellon's Emilia Schwallie
(WHS 2019) set a new
Pool Record for
the 3-meter 11-dive format
at the CMU Diving Invitational.

11/23/19: Nardone takes 5th
at at USMMA Meet,
​qualifies for regionals

2019 Weston grad Katherine Nardone
took fifth-place at the 
US Merchant Marine Academy
Memorial Invitational Meet
in Kings Point, NY, on Nov. 23.
​In the process, the NYU freshman
​also qualified for women's regionals.

OCTOBER 2019

10/15/19: Mikaela Thompson,
GLOWS '15, hired as
​next Tide Diving Coach

2015 Weston grad Mikaela Thompson,
Harvard '19, was announced as
the next Diving Coach at Weston HS.
Thompson was a three-time State Champ
while at Weston and a three-time
Ivy League champ off one-meter.
At the time of her graduation from WHS,
Thompson held nearly every
diving record for The GLOWS.
Thompson is the first-ever 
female Weston grad to return to coach
​with the squad.

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