Last February the boys swimming and diving team finished 4th at the state finals, the highest placement in program history. This season, expectations are even higher.
The Trojans returned a strong group of upperclassmen, led by Henry Lyness, last year’s state runner-up in the 100 backstroke and the 100 butterfly. Lyness teamed with senior Anthony Cuadros and junior Mason Bridges for two third place relay finishes – the 200 Medley and the 400 Free. So far this season, the team has also had underclassmen improving rapidly, including Dathan Schramm, who finished 7th in diving at least year’s state meet, along with Ayan Raghevendra and Jayden Xia. But perhaps the biggest contributor to the team’s optimism is the duo of brothers Anthony and Matthew Cuadros.
As a pair, the two are big point scorers for the team, with Anthony being a senior leader and strong anchor for the team relays. Matthew, despite being a freshman, specializes in individual events. But sibling rivalry has played a role in the team’s success.
“It’s a lot of fun both competing and working with my brother,” Matthew said. “We’ve pretty much been doing it our whole lives. Being siblings definitely adds pressure because we are both very competitive and are always wanting to beat one or another.”
But Anthony has used his experience over the past four years to help his underclassmen teammates, including Matthew.
“The biggest thing I’ve helped Matthew with is how to deal with pressure,” Anthony said. “He’s been at big meets, and with so many people you’ve just gotta focus on yourself and your race.”
Anthony’s recommendations have been useful for Matthew, who was able to come in and adjust quicker to the new expectations of a varsity sport and a high school workload.
“Adjusting to high school swimming, and really just high school in general, was definitely an easier experience having my brother already gone through this process,” Matthew said. “He was able to help me through it and guide me.”
The brothers’ team work has not gone unnoticed. Head Coach Brad Smith notices both brothers’ work in practice as they build each other up.
“Anthony is predominantly a sprinter, Matthew is in our stroke group, in the IM and breast stroke, so they don’t necessarily always go head to head,” Smith said. “You might think of brothers battling out to be top dog. It’s almost quite the opposite. I really see them lifting each other up. When one gets down, the other one’s there to support them.”
With Matthew and Anthony both supporting each other in their own way, both brothers have found success. Both have made their mark in the history books. Anthony holds two school relay records (200 Medley and 400 Freestyle), and Matthew broke both the 100 Breaststroke and 200 Individual Medley school records. One specific record stood out for both.
“My favorite memory so far with Matthew is when I was watching him break the 100 breast record,” Anthony said. “It was great to watch, and I felt proud that he has already come so far to get a record.”
In the race where Matthew broke the record, he defeated Lucas Ackermann from Franklin Community who was runner up in the 100m breaststroke at last season’s state championships. Understandably, Matthew has big goals for himself and his team’s future.“For state, my goal is to win the 100 breast and the 200 medley relay,” Matthew said. “In the 200 IM, I want to get top 3. I wouldn’t be satisfied with anything less.”
In order to achieve these goals, Matthew has taken Anthony’s advice to not worry about others, but he has also emphasized his preparation and recovery coming into the meet.
“I’m going to prepare for state by resting a lot more, hydrating, and getting lots and lots of rest,” Matthew said. “I’ll also do stuff like ice baths to help recover. This week coming into state is a lot of fine-tuning your races and building up your endurance.”
The next step in working toward these goals begins today when the Cuadros brothers and the rest of the Trojans will be competing in the state finals at the IU Indianapolis Natatorium, where Coach Smith hopes each brother can lead the team to success. He hopes that Anthony will be able to perform on the team’s relays, and Matthew will be a high individual scorer.
“This weekend we’re really counting on Anthony,” Smith said. “He’s gonna be our lead-off leg for our freestyle relays, and then he’s gonna play an integral role in our medley relay swimming butterfly. If he can do what he needs to do, those relays can win a state title. He’ll be a key player in those. With Matthew coming in, there’s a power punch. He’s kind of been used to being on top of the world. He looks probably to be in the top 3 in the breast stroke, which is pretty big as a freshman. We’re just looking for him to provide that power punch in the IM and the breast stroke.”
With the Cuadros’ brothers leading the way, the team hopes to improve upon last year’s 4th place finish. No matter what happens though, the brothers will end their season alongside each other. With it being Anthony’s last season, he’s glad to work with his brother and see what the future holds.
“Finishing my high school career with my brother is nice,” Anthony said. “He can continue our achievements at Center Grove. I can’t wait to see what Matthew does when he gets to be a senior.”
