CFNN Reporter Aiden Hale

On Thursday, January 22nd, our Cape Fear swim teams competed in the conference championship. Cape Fear had been dominant all season and this meet was the perfect opportunity for swimmers to receive some medals.

The Lady Colts started off strong, receiving a gold medal in the very first event (200 medley relay). 

Sophomore Luke Bailey finished first in the boys 200 yard freestyle, this has been an event that Bailey dominated all season and he was finally able to end it off with a medal.

Senior captain Nicholas Serbio finished 1st in the boys 200 yard individual medley. Serbio was absolutely dominant, powering past his competition by over 20 seconds.

“This was probably my best season yet,” said Senior Captain Nick Serbio. “The boys had a few hiccups throughout the season but there is a lot to come in the coming years.” 

Nick has been on the team for the last 4 years. Nick is one of the most versatile swimmers in the county, putting up competitive times in every event he competes in. He leaves the team with big fins to fill in the pool.

Sophomore Aiden Hale finished 1st in the boys 50 yard freestyle yet again this season, finishing a whole second faster than the second place finisher.

Junior Lucy Brinker finished 1st in the girls 11 yard freestyle, winning by a solid three second margin.

Senior Annamarie Brenes destroyed her competition in the girls 500 yard freestyle, winning first place by a 1 minute and 30 second margin.

“I think our girls did very well this season, we have some room to still improve and be better next year,” stated Senior Captain Annamarie Brenes. 

Annamarie has been on the swim team for the past four years. All four years Annamarie has been a force to be reckoned with, especially in the 500 yard freestyle.

Sophomore Luke Bailey received yet another first place medal after finishing first in the boys 500 yard freestyle.

The relay team for the Lady Colts once again dominated in the 200 yard freestyle relay, crushing their opponents by 12 seconds.

Senior Amelia Osornio finished first in the girls 100 yard backstroke, Osornio has placed either first or second all year and was able to cap off the year with a medal.

The boys relay team finished first in the 400 yard freestyle relay after narrowly beating Lumberton by 2 seconds to win the race. The girls swim team capped off their year as conference champions, unfortunately the boys were second place, losing by only 5 points.

Cape Fear swim was very successful during the conference championship. Many athletes received medals, some even in multiple events.

The 7A East Swimming and Diving regionals have been canceled, so there will be no more swim meets this season. Cape Fear wishes the seniors well in their future endeavors, and a huge thank you for what they have done for this swim program. 

That’s a wrap for the 2025-26 Cape Fear Swim season! While it wasn’t the end we expected, there were some solid achievements over the course of the season.