Monday through Friday, freshman Nikhil Chakravarthy gets up, goes to his classes and then heads over to the school’s pool at 4:30 p.m. Two hours and 6,000 yards later, he gets out of the water and goes home, ready to do it all again the next day.
Chakravarthy learned to swim when he was two. He joined a club when he was seven, and has swam competitively ever since. He dreams of trying out for the Junior Olympic National team.

Monday through Friday, freshman Nikhil Chakravarthy gets up, goes to his classes and then heads over to the school’s pool at 4:30 p.m. Two hours and 6,000 yards later, he gets out of the water and goes home, ready to do it all again the next day.

Chakravarthy learned to swim when he was two. He joined a club when he was seven, and has swam competitively ever since. He dreams of trying out for the Junior Olympic National team.

Monday through Friday, freshman Nikhil Chakravarthy gets up, goes to his classes and then heads over to the school’s pool at 4:30 p.m. Two hours and 6,000 yards later, he gets out of the water and goes home, ready to do it all again the next day.

Chakravarthy learned to swim when he was two. He joined a club when he was seven, and has swam competitively ever since. He dreams of trying out for the Junior Olympic National team.

Sophomore Greg Yang was looking forward to swimming all year. However, his optimism was crushed when he was told that due to a scheduling conflict with his seventh-period class, he would not be able to practice with the team and compete this season.

Santa Clara Swim Center roared with cheering on May 21. People screamed in the stands and athletes stopped mid-warm-up to watch as eight swimmers cut through the water. It was event 16, the boys’ final heat of the 500-yard freestyle.

What does a pool, three brothers, and a passion for swimming equal? The perfect environment for an outstanding family legacy of swimming.

The swim team gathered around in a huddle, leaning their heads inwards. After an enthusiastic roar of “Toga!” the JV girls rushed up to the starting blocks to begin the Monta Vista away meet on April 1.

At a glance, the prospects for Saratoga swimming do not look promising.

Last year’s records of 3-3 for varsity girls and 1-5 for boys do not foreshadow an amazing 2011 season. This year, the girls’ team has only 27 athletes, the school lacks male divers and the whole swim team sometimes cannot accumulate winning point totals at meets, according to the coaches. However, varsity boys’ swim coach Christian Bonner expects the boys and girls to have a strong year, despite the team’s difficulties.

The Monta Vista High School pool deck will be noticeably quieter this year. Longtime coach and teacher Ron Freeman passed away on Jan. 21 at age 52 from a heart attack after watching a Monta Vista basketball game.

Coming off a momentous season, the boys' swim team made its mark again by earning a third consecutive top-five finish, placing fifth place and emerging as the top public school at the CCS finals meet on May 21 at Santa Clara International Swim Center. Bellarmine won its 26th consecutive title.