The Martha’s Vineyard boys swim & dive team thought they had the 2022 Cape Cod Classic all wrapped up. They held a double digit lead with only a few events to go.
But Kevin Johnson and the Whaler’s team weren’t about to let that happen. They sent the Vineyard home packing with a comeback victory to earn a seventh consecutive Cape Cod Classic title.
The comeback led by Johnson made the senior captain a no-brainer to honor as this week’s Current Athlete of the Week.
“Going into the meet we knew it was going be more competitive than in years past,” Johnson said. “With a couple teams pulling out due to COVID and losing Justin (Roethke) for the meet, we knew we were going to have to adjust. Some swimmers that haven’t experienced a meet like that before were going to have to step up. It’s good to see how all of the boys rose to the occasion because every swim was necessary.”
Head coach Jim Pignato recalled a moment during last weekend’s meet that personified Johnson’s team-first mentality. Pignato said they were toying with the idea of splitting up their relays to guarantee a certain amount of points. This would mean that instead of putting their top swimmers in one relay, they would split everyone up to create two equal relays.
“Kevin immediately came up to me and said ‘put me on the slower relay. I will make sure they do their job,’” Pignato said. “To have that without having to ask for it from a coaching standpoint is exactly what you want to see out of your kids.”
Because to Johnson, beating the Vineyard and experiencing the thrill of team success and accomplishment with his teammates is what matters most to him.
“Coming out of the meet with a win was the top priority,” he said. “A lot of different guys were pushed out of their comfort zones. As a team, I believe we are selfless and that is what I think has led to our success so far this season. We have a great group this year and the fact that we all make the team the top priority makes us a hard team to beat.”
Johnson’s journey to where he is now began over a decade ago, when he began swimming in the second grade. He said he can’t point to one specific moment that stands above the rest between then and now, but knows his high school career would be a good place to look for that memory.
“Almost all of my (favorite memories) have come while swimming in the last four years,” he said. “The sense of community in Nantucket Swimming is what I love most about it. There is always someone cheering at the end of your lane or pushing you through practice.”
Johnson swam in the 200 yard medley relay with three of his teammates and the 400 yard freestyle relay, the final event of the day. Under Johnson’s leadership, the Whalers still managed to earn first place in both relays despite the absence of his friend Justin Roethke, who has been one Nantucket’s top swimmers all season long.
But Johnson wasn’t done putting his stamp on the meet. He also swam in two individual events. He earned first place finishes in the 200 yard individual medley relay (2:11.21) and in the 100 yard freestyle relay (52.04). Both individual times were qualifying marks for the state tournament in February.
When asked what has played the biggest part in Johnson’s success, he said it is his determination to remain consistent during practice. He said that is a key part of his training regimen and is something he is always focused on and striving to improve.
“That is the biggest thing for me,” he said.
Pignato said Johnson’s work ethic stands out every time he shows up for practice.
“Kevin has been one of the hardest workers in the pool since his freshman year,” Pignato said. “He is a great role model for these younger kids to look up to and how you do it correctly at practice. It translates to meets. His success also comes from the intangibles he has too. There is that ‘Whaler Pride’ piece to it. He really embodies that and is willing to put his team before himself all the time.”
Johnson said he feels very lucky to have swam with a group of very talented swimmers while he was an underclassmen. He believes they helped pave the way for the success he is having.
“I was very lucky to be led by many very successful swimmers who knew how to get it done in the biggest of moments,” he said. “When I think about those guys I think about the things they taught me as a less experienced high school swimmer.”
Johnson said he goes to the pool everyday trying to be that same influence for the young swimmers in the program today.
“When I look at the young team we have this year, I try to pass on the things that I learned from the more experienced guys when I was younger,” he said.
