When Noah Labich was preparing to re-enter the high school swimming pool, the Amherst Regional senior took a glance at the times from the previous season’s championship meets.
He wanted to know what he was up against.
“It’s of course motivation, and most swimmers would check out how they would place if they are joining a new league,” Labich said. “I wasn’t aware of the Western Mass. or state records when I joined, I was just kind of worrying about placing at states and Western Mass.”
Labich swam for the Hurricanes his freshman year, then took the next two seasons off to swim for his club team. His return was like a cannonball off a high dive.
He won state and sectional titles in both the 200-yard individual medley and 100 butterfly. He set meet records as well as western Massachusetts records in both events along the way. Last week, Labich received the highest honor when he was named an National Interscholastic Swim Coaches Association All-American in both events.
For his performance Labich has been named the Daily Hampshire Gazette Boys Swimming & Diving Player of the Year.
Though he didn’t swim his sophomore and junior seasons, Labich was still familiar with his competition. Despite having fast times at the club level, he wasn’t taking anything for granted.
“I know about their competitive drive, how they train. I’m familiar with their coaches and some of them I’m even teammates with,” Labich said. “Even though I may be faster at the beginning of the season, I know they are going to be training, they are going to be faster at the end of the season, most likely, and if I don’t really put any work in they will close the gap or maybe even overtake me. Complacency is always the enemy. You can never be happy where you are.”
During the regular season, Labich had top-seven times in each of the eight individual swimming events. He had the top marks in the 200 IM (1 minute, 57.04 seconds), 100 butterfly (51.22) and 100 backstroke (52.46). He had the second-best time in the 500 freestyle (4:51.66).
His performances “didn’t surprise me because he’s a fantastic swimmer, fantastic kid,” Amherst coach Jennifer Albertine said.
Labich swims the 400 IM and 200 fly during the club season, which made the 200 IM and 100 fly natural events at the high school level.
“I knew I would have the best shot at any records or placing with the 200 IM and the 100 butterfly. Plus, I just love to swim those events,” Labich said. “I’ve been studying how to swim those events for a while under my USA team and I know how they go. I know all the details about them and I’m comfortable with them. I think that was a pretty easy choice for me.”
Labich won the 200 IM in 1:51.92 at the West Central Championship. He won the 100 fly in 48.97. It was his first time breaking 49 seconds in the event, and he was .03 shy of matching the state record.
At the State Division 2 Championship, Labich won the 200 IM in 1:50.69, breaking the meet record by over 2 seconds. He won the 100 fly in 48.99 to break the meet record by 0.04. He was again just short of the state record (48.94).
“It will help me with further training like maybe if I try a little harder on this wall in practice that .05 won’t be the difference-maker in my next race,” said Labich, who will attend and swim at Williams College.
Richard Guerron, freshman, Amherst Regional
Noah Labich, senior, Amherst Regional
Jacob Laney, freshman, Amherst Regional
Eric Lian, freshman, Amherst Regional
Alvin Li, senior, Amherst Regional
Evander Maradiaga, freshman, Amherst Regional
Callum McDonald, freshman, Amherst Regional
Christopher Chumbley, senior, Belchertown
Nathan Dragon, junior, Belchertown
Aidan Endress, junior, Belchertown
Matthew Stelmokas, junior, Belchertown
Evan Harrington, sophomore, Belchertown
Christopher Vayda, senior, Easthampton
Oliver Schalet, junior, Northampton
Brady Pete, freshman, South Hadley
