Two freshmen make boys varsity swim during an unforgettable season

By Donya Hassanshahi

During the 2022 swim season, Lucas McMunn, ’25 and Samuel Noricumbo, ’25, are the only two freshman boys on the varsity boys swim team.

After the first day of practice, McMunn knew he found his place on the team. He says, “The first day I came out, I already have former teammates from my club team, so they recommended me and I did not disappoint. After the first couple of sets [Coach Fuller] was like, ‘You’re staying with me.'”

Considering this is his first year at Redwood, McMunn says, “I like that I get to compete at the highest level of high school right away.” McMunn swims freestyle and butterfly stroke during competitions.

Since the age of eight, McMunn has been involved with swim. Not only does he participate in swim, but he was also a member of basketball during the winter sports’ season at Redwood.

McMunn admits that without his parents placing him into swim, he may have never found the love for it that he has now.

“I found this love for [swim], I like going fast. Those hard practices, they were all worth it because when you get to race and you see that time, you got your fastest, you beat people, I’d say that’s why I do it.”

McMunn on the impact swim has had on him

Being a member of the varsity team has been a great experience for him. “I knew I was cut out for it and I like my teammates, how they are a little bit more mature, and how they push me because they are older than me,” McMunn says.

As a freshman member, McMunn says he enjoys being able to familiarize himself with the team and competition level, “I love it; I have a lot of friends and it’s their last year and I get to do it with them. Usually, I’d meet [the boys] next year without being on varsity [this year]. So, I get to go into next year with a lot of friends and bonds.”

Throughout the season, McMunn has looked up to a friend and teammate of his, Landon Larson, ’22. McMunn says, “He’s always there in the lane with me when we practice. He’s one of the older guys that I look for counsel from. That’s really helped me throughout the year, as far as advice or if I have questions.”

As the varsity team prepares themselves for their post-season competition, McMunn says that Golden West High School was his favorite meet. “That’s our biggest competition and we beat them by thirty-three points, so I was happy about that. I PR’d [personal record] in two of my events, that I’ll probably swim in at WYL: 100 [butter]fly and 200 free[style],” he says.

Even though his experience has been admirable, McMunn says the hardest part of varsity is “sometimes the meets, not the practices. [He’s] had a few meets where [he’s] had to race back-to-back three events in a row and that’s more difficult than actually practicing.”

When Samuel Noricumbo, ’25 got pulled up from JV to varsity, the competition pushed McMunn to work harder, “Him being there lit a fire under me and I dropped so much time just from him being next to me in the lane.”

With this new addition to the team, McMunn took into consideration the opportunity that he was getting as being a part of the varsity team his freshman year. The arrival of Noricumbo on the team made McMunn realize that he had to implicate more effort.

He says, “When I made varsity right away, I guess I settled- I didn’t try to get better. I was practicing, but I wasn’t motivated to be faster than anybody. I was faster than some upperclassmen, but when there’s somebody my age, the competition is fun. I like [Noricumbo] with us.”

From ages three to nine, Noricumbo was involved with swim. He began on the recreational team Waves, though stopped to pursue water polo. Currently, he is on both varsity water polo and swim.

During the first league meet this season, Noricumbo was pulled up to join the varsity level. Opposed to his previous position on JV, the transition to varsity has been the hardest for him. He says, “Once you get used to it, it’s not that bad.”

The meet before, Noricumbo had asked Coach Fuller, the varsity boys head coach, about his butterfly stroke time since he was already within range with some of the other varsity members. “[Fuller] told [him] to hit a 1:06, which [he] had a 1:07 at the time. So, in that first league meet [he] hit a 1:05 and [he] knew [he] was on varsity,” Noricumbo says.

Originally, his decision to join swim was meant as a form of water polo conditioning for next season, although Noricumbo says he has enjoyed being a member of the Redwood swim program. “It feels nice to be part of an amazing and talented group of individuals,” he says.

As one of the younger teammates, he looks up to all of the members of varsity swim. Noricumbo says, “They’re all super cool guys and they’re all really fast.”

In the past, Noricumbo’s older brother did swim, so now he tries to compete with his brother’s past times in order to improve.

With him becoming the newest edition to the team, Noricumbo says that, “Lucas has been pushing me and he’s a really good swimmer. I’ve actually asked him for some pointers and tips, sometimes. Alex Kirkman [’23], Jake Chambers [’23], and Beau Gendron [’22], basically the whole team, push me to do better.”

When he was a member of the Visalia Waves team, he believes McMunn and him would compete against each other, since McMunn was a member of another Visalia recreational team, the Buccaneers, during that time.

Swimming alongside McMunn now has been an incredible experience for Noricumbo. He says, “[McMunn] is a great swimmer, probably the best freshman one. Competing against him now is bittersweet because I’m glad he’s doing amazing, but I’m also bitter about it because I have to catch up now.”

With the varsity teams heading to West Yosemite League, Noricumbo, “really liked the Hanford meet and [he] liked the traditions [varsity] did there.” Moments he most admired included “the fun things [the team] did in Nate [Bettencourt, ’22] 500 [freestyle].”

The transition mid-season has definitely impacted Noricumbo’s perception on the opportunity.

“It feels great to be on a team with such a rich history of winning. I have always watched the meets, seeing these great traditions, and wanted to be a part of them.”

Noricumbo on being a team member and partaking in varsity traditions

Mr. Eric Fuller, who teaches economics and civics at Redwood High School, is the coach for boys varsity swim.

With McMunn being a member of the team throughout the entire season, Fuller says, “He is a phenomenal swimmer. I was pleasantly surprised by how his work ethic and his value to the team has been over the season.”

The addition of Noricumbo mid-season was impressive to Fuller. “Sam had started on JV and worked his way to varsity. He actually impressed us with improving his times on JV enough to be pulled up to varsity half-way through the season, which is a great accomplishment for him,” says Fuller.

In regard to the futures of McMunn and Noricumbo during their time as members of the Redwood swim program, Fuller says he, “see[s] Lucas and Sam both leading a group of freshmen that we have on JV.”

For WYL, there has been one other freshman pulled onto the team. Considering this, Fuller says that he sees the two as “the leadership of those freshmen upcoming for next year and hopefully they both know to put in the work, too, perhaps, lead by the time they are juniors or seniors.”

Tags: boysswim, Donya Hassanshahi, Freshman, rangers, Redwood, redwood gigantea, redwood high school, redwood journalism, redwood rangers, redwood sports, redwoodswim, rhs, varistyswim, varsity, visalia ca