During the 2024-2025 season, the boys swim and dive team had a stellar performance, scoring more than 30 points above the past season with a final score of 505, placing second in their conference. Another great sign of success was varsity swimmer Nick Ozimek making it all the way to state, putting Libertyville on the map. Senior varsity swimmer Luke Bucchiero had a positive outlook on how the season went, stating that team culture was a large proponent of their success.
“I went in not feeling too confident, but I think both the team and [I] performed really well,” Bucciero said. “I got to see the team grow… We had quite a few freshmen who really kind of got into it and helped create a good team spirit.”
Bucciero also commented on how much the team improved from season to season, mentioning the newfound increase in speed of the new swimmers from last season to this one.
“For me, personally, I ended up doing really well, and [last season] kind of helped motivate me a little bit coming into this season, figuring out that if you put in the work, you can improve quite a lot,” Bucciero said.
Culture
One of the biggest things the team has focused on last season and this season is team culture and spirit. The strong bond between every swimmer helps keep everyone accountable when the drive to improve may be falling short.
One activity the boys do to keep their discipline to a maximum is focusing on their goals during practice.
“Everyone wrote down one goal for the team, not for themselves, for the team,” Bucciero said. “We took them all in, and we went through them, and talked about them. Then, everyone wrote three obstacles that they think would get in the way of those goals. Then, we took all those and sorted them into two categories, like mental type obstacles, and then just pure swimming.”
The most important part of success when it comes to holding one’s teammates accountable is a strong team bond to strengthen the team’s trust with one another.
“Usually… we do pasta parties before big meets,” Bucciero said. “It gets the parents involved because they get to bring food for the guys.”
Looking Into the Future
Going into this season, the Wildcats are looking to integrate the new swimmers from JV to Varsity and bounce back from the three seniors that graduated following the 2024-2025 season.
“One of the biggest changes was [that] we lost three pretty good seniors, and we had a few kids move out from JV, and we only had one returning or one new freshman,” Bucciero said. “But I feel like we’re in a really good spot.”
The Wildcats’ success this season was driven not only by strong performances, but by a culture centered on teamwork and accountability. The team showed clear growth from previous years. As Libertyville prepares to bring up new swimmers and adjust to graduating seniors, the team’s emphasis on unity and commitment bring the boys’ swim and dive program further together, guaranteeing a sense of camaraderie and drive going forward into this season.
