The Bethesda Chevy Chase swim and dive team competed at Metros 2026 at Germanton and left their mark with an distuginshed performance. Dive competed on Wednesday, February 4th, and Thursday, February 5th, and swim competed on Saturday, February 7th. Metros contain swimmers and divers who qualify. Metros is a huge event for swimmers and divers, as it is anticipated throughout the whole season. It is a time when athletes can showcase their strengths and compete at a high level against other schools in the area. Support from the B-CC community is evident at Metros, as students, parents, and teammates cheer on these highly skilled swimmers and divers.
Mr. Blanken is a health education teacher at B-CC and the coach of the swim and dive team. Coach Blanken is beloved by his athletes, and his love for the sport is evident. Overall, the swim and dive team did an outstanding job and represented B-CC phenomenally. “We swam great, had a lot of final swims, and had a lot of underclassmen make finals either on relays or individually,” said Blanken. One of Blanken’s favorite parts of coaching is watching the camaraderie among students who potentially swim outside of school and in different places; everyone coming together with the same goal while representing B-CC by wearing the cap. The hype video posted by @bccswimdiveofficial on Instagram is an essential part of preparing for Metros. “ A lot of preparation to make a good video and get everyone excited, and I think when that starts, you know, I say it jokingly, but it does energize everybody.” Coach Blanken doesn’t stick with a specific philosophy while coaching, but he does say, “ one race where you maybe don’t perform at the level that you think you will, doesn’t mean the next one can’t be great, and you never know when the great ones are gonna happen, so always be ready for it.”
Daniel Pevzner is a junior captain who has been on the Varsity Swim and Dive team for the past three years. Pevner is a swimmer who competed at Metros 2026. When asked what takeaways he gained, Pevner responded, “Being able to support my other teammates, which is the most important thing.” Metros is a highly competitive day, but this competition comes with an unbelievable amount of energy from the team. “ If I could describe Metros in one word, I’d use electric because it’s a meet with no dull moments, despite lasting a whole day.”
Hailey Hammond and Virginia Hinds, two current senior swimmers and captains, broke school records. Hailey Hamond won in the 100 fly category with a time of 55.72 seconds. Hammond broke the school record in the fly for the first time in 6 years, a huge accomplishment. Virginia Hinds won in the 100 backstroke category with a time of 53.26 seconds. This year is the 4th year Hinds has won, winning every year of high school. Not only did this time break the school record, but it is also the county record. These two swimmers are insanely talented as they plan to continue swimming at the collegiate level. Hailey Hammond is committed to Colgate Univeristy while Virginia Hinds is committed to the University of Georgia.
Regarding Dive, Dylan Imirowicz, a senior, won in the boys’ dive category. Imirowicz went back-to-back, winning last year and this year. This is the first time anyone’s done that in 15 years. He won the competition in the 11th round and moved from second to first in the last round. Imirowicz is a talented diver and is being recognized for his strengths.
Regionals are the next big event these talented swimmers and divers are preparing for. Dive regionals are this Thursday, February 12, at Walkersville High School in Frederick, and swimming regionals are Saturday, February 14, at Martner Luther King Swim Center in Silver Spring. Stay updated with B-CC Swim and Dive to see how they continue to outdo the competition.
