BELLAIRE • MEMORIAL • RIVER OAKS • TANGLEWOOD • WEST UNIVERSITY

Swimming at Lutheran North

By Caroline Killinger, Lutheran North Academy, School Buzz Reporter | February 16, 2023

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The patriotic David Berry, who swam for his whole life before coming to LNA.

The Lutheran North Academy’s swim team is small but mighty,with a rich history. The swim program was born not long after the school’s start in 1980, but was shut down for years. The records were moved from the halls and the idea of a swim team was dormany, until the arrival of student Justice Wenz. Justice, along with his brother Caleb Wenz, came to Lutheran North with a splash about 5 years ago. The Wenz brothers have been swimming their whole lives and were excited at the opportunity to swim at LNA. Justice loved swimming, but he also wanted to give other peers the chance to swim too. The brothers loved to swim together because as Justice describes it, “like many brothers, we are competitive; but also we are one another’s biggest cheerleaders.” Together they would strategize how to beat records. The swim team was filled with love and family.

With the help of some friends who joined the swim team, they were able to beat personal records, team records, school records, and even state records. Justice went to state his senior year and beat the school record, his personal record, and the TAPPS State Record. Justice Wenz graduated in 2021, leaving his brother to carry on the legacy. His brother recruited five friends to join the team. Though they had never swum before, they joined and have never looked back. Caleb went to swim at TAPPS state and was the third fastest in the 50 freestyle. He graduated in 2022. The school was now without the Wenz boys, but their legacy lives on.

Three of Caleb’s friends continued swimming and were able to recruit three more people to join the team. One freshman, David Berry, swam for his whole life before coming to LNA. David Berry said that swimming in high school was “a lot more competitive” but he loved being on the swim team. At the beginning of January, the team went to the Bay Area Christian Winter Classic and competed. All of the swimmers beat personal records, but they also won third place overall in the whole meet. This was a huge accomplishment for the small but mighty swim team. The team competed at TAPPS regionals and has big plans for service projects, retreats, and more in the future. The Wenz brothers are grateful they restarted the program and are excited to watch the team and program as alumni. The Wenz boys may have graduated, but the swim team still lives on.