Lansing boys swimming thrives in postseason

A strong regular season translated to even more success during the postseason for the Lansing boys swim team.

After going 6-2 in dual meets, the Bobcats’ carried their great form over to the IAC Championships on February 10, where they finished in second place and won eight out of 11 events. One week later back at Watkins Glen for the Section IV Class C Championships, Lansing placed third with multiple event winners. While the Bobcats fell just short of winning an overall title, their outstanding team camaraderie was on full display over the past couple of weeks.

“We didn’t have the numbers, so going in it was hard to say ‘Okay, we’re gonna go in and win,’” said assistant coach Dan Lajza. “But it was [about] supporting each other. When Nicholas [Hwang] ran the 200-yard individual medley and blew away his previous time and actually beat Connor [Lajza]’s best time, the celebration on the deck was crazy. And when Stephen [Geise] out-touched Watkins Glen at IACs, that was just super huge and got them super excited. It was very good.”

The Bobcats repeated their performances from last season—also finishing second at IACs and third at sectionals—despite nearly half of the team graduating. Lajza and head coach Diane Hicks-Hughes were impressed with the returning swimmers’ drive to maintain the program’s consistent postseason triumph.

“They were more determined than ever,” Hicks-Hughes said. “They were really focused and ready to go.”

“The juniors and seniors just all stuck together and supported the young guys, supported each other and truly enjoyed each other,” Lajza said.

Lansing’s trio of standout swimmers this season are juniors Connor Lajza and Nicholas Hwang and senior Stephen Geise, with all three being named IAC MVPs and winning multiple events at IACs and sectionals. Lajza, who is Dan’s son, has stood a cut above the rest as the lone swimmer on the Bobcats to qualify for states, doing so in the 100-yard butterfly. He also broke Lansing’s pool record in the event with a time of 52.58 seconds in a regular season meet against Watkins Glen/Odessa-Montour. It’s safe to say Lajza has mastered the art of such a unique stroke.

“It’s a lot of technique work that goes into it,” Connor Lajza said. “Everybody swims in their own way, and mine is very wavy. It’s a lot of technique. We’re trying to just get that rhythm down so that you’re not gliding going into the walls, and you’re not trying to take an extra little stroke.”

This is the second straight season that Lajza has qualified for states, and it didn’t take him long at all to reach the magic time. In fact, he did so in the very first meet of the season against Southern Cayuga. It’s a clear testament to all the hard work Lajza put in during the offseason.

“I was super excited when I made that time and the first meet,” Connor said. “I had done club team over the summer, and that helped me get to that point where I could just go ahead and get that done and over with and focus on other goals that I had for the season.”

One of those goals Lajza has set for himself is to make the finals and get into the top 20 at states, which will take place at Ithaca College from March 1-2. Even though the season had ended for everyone else on the team, Hwang and Geise have helped Lajza train for the big meet, regularly swimming alongside him during his practices. It’s another shining example of the Bobcats’ unmatched chemistry.

“It’s just going to take a lot of focus, and I’m so fortunate to have teammates who can come here to these practices to keep me going,” Connor Lajza said. “I definitely could not be where I am without them. It’s a lot of hard work.”

Hwang has also found plenty of success this season, winning the 200-yard individual medley and the 100-yard breaststroke at both IACs and sectionals.

“He has worked just as hard [as Connor],” Hicks-Hughes said. “He has pushed Connor. Connor’s pushed him. They’ve been great lane mates throughout the season, and he really steps up to take the initiative when others don’t.”

As for Geise, he claimed first place in the 50-yard and 100-yard freestyles at IACs and was part of the 400-yard freestyle relay with Lajza, Hwang, and fellow senior Dylan Rooney-Monger. While Geise’s time with Lansing swimming has come to an end, he leaves behind a new tradition that once again exemplifies a fun and tight-knit team environment for years to come.

“We started [doing] pre-meet raps,” Dan Lajza said. “It was basically [about] what’s going on with the team, who’s there, who isn’t, and how they’re going to perform and how the other team is going to respond to us and. All the boys loved it. Our modified kids loved joining in… It just kind of pulled everybody together and got everybody ready for every meet.”