The swimmers on the Guilderville boys’ team are having success this season, even though, at first glance, it doesn’t appear so.

The team that combines swimmers from Guilderland and Voorheesville high schools has just two wins this season but at least half of the swimmers have qualified for the sectional meet that takes place next month.
"We can win events," Guilderville senior co-captain David Cerutti said. "We can take first and second places but we have a lack of depth. We do not have the third- and fourth-place finishers. Scorewise, we try hard. Some of the teams are just powerhouses because they have a lot of depth."

Individual swimmers, though, have met with success.
"More than 10 have qualified for sectionals," said Guilderville Coach Vaclav Sotola of his 20-man team. "For some, it’s their first time, and they’re excited about that. They’re shooting to get in the finals."

One swimmer has already qualified for the state meet due to fast times in races this season. Swimmers, if they make the state standard time in an event, can qualify for the state meet during the regular season and not just have to do it at the sectional meet.

Vadim Yafayev, a junior, has already qualified in the 200-yard individual medley and the 100-yard freestyle. He is also trying to qualify in the 100-yard butterfly.

Yafayev swam 201.04 in the individual medley and swam 49.49 seconds in the freestyle. He needs to surpass 55.38 to make the state meet in the butterfly. He has a best time of 56.05 in that event so far this season.
"He’s been swimming fast and beat the magic time," Sotola said. "In the butterfly, he should make it. He’s competitive."
"What we do is swim for ourselves," Cerutti said. "We know what to expect. Some guys are doing pretty well individually. We have a lot of guys going to sectionals."

Yafayev is just one of three swimmers who compete all year in swimming. Jonathan Wheeler and Michael Schaffer are the others. Most teams in the section have swimmers who compete all year not just during the winter high-school season.
"It’s not easy to compete against swimmers that swim all year like Shenendehowa," Sotola said. "We have kids that come from cross-country or soccer. They are good swimmers and good athletes but it’s hard to compete."

"Swimming their best"

The Guilderville team have just two wins during the season. Guilderville defeated Canajoharie and Albany.
"We’re hoping to beat Ballston Spa," Sotola said. "But you never know. And, hopefully, we can beat [Albany] Academy. We can conceivably have four wins. It’s not a foregone conclusion."

Sotola says it has been a successful season because most of the swimmers have improved their times during the season.
"The kids are swimming better times," Sotola said. "I’m satisfied with that. Winning is good, but the kids are swimming their best times and behaving well. I’m more impressed with that.
"They all are amazing," Sotola said. "The ones that show up every day are improving, no matter who they are. Some could barely swim when the season began and now they’ve improved and gotten better times. They’ve done all sorts of good stuff."

New coach

While Sotola is new to Guilderville, he has coached for more than a quarter of a century.

Sotola started coaching in 1981. He has coached the Albany Starfish club team for about 10 years and also coached at Albany High School and was an assistant coach at Bethlehem High School. He has also coached at the Empire State Games.
"The last few years, because I teach at Canajoharie, I’ve coached modified swimming there for awhile," Sotola said.

Sotola lives in the area and jumped at the opportunity to coach the Guilderville team, this year.
"The job opened and I applied," he said. "It’s what I’ve always wanted to do. I wanted to coach in my kids’ home school, even though they don’t swim."

His swimmers have responded to a different coaching style, though Sotola was helped by having six seniors on the team.
It’s definitely a big change," Cerutti said. "The last coach [George Marshall] was here for four years. It’s good to have a different view on your stroke. It’s a different feel. He definitely brings different ideas and thoughts to the table."

Captains Cerutti, Colin Masterson, and Chris Schwartz have helped ease the transition with the new coach.
"Dave Cerutti is a standout guy," Sotola said. "He’s a hard worker. He’s a lacrosse player and not a full-time swimmer. But he’s got a lot of talent and he’s a team leader in the water and out of the water."

Dan Wheeler, a freshman, has had success this season, Sotola said.
"He is swimming out of his shorts," the coach said. "He’s been great in the 50 and 100 freestyle."

Mike Schaffer, an eighth-grader, swims for the YMCA Cyclones during the off-season and is doing a great job in the 200-yard individual medley and the 100-yard backstroke, the coach said.
"We have a good bunch of kids on the team," Cerutti said. "We have a group of kids we can rely on. A bunch have stepped up. And the underclassmen group, there has been a lot of improvement by some of the kids."

Cerutti has qualified for sectionals in the 200-yard freestyle, 100 freestyle, the 200 individual medley, the 50 freestyle, the 500 freestyle, and 100 butterfly, and the 100 backstroke.
"Unfortunately, we lose six seniors," Sotola said. "Next year will be interesting. It will be a rebuilding year when you’re talking about losing guys like Cerutti, Schwartz, and the other guys."

The other seniors on the team are Andrew Crowder, Ryan O’Rourke, and Chris Diakiwski.

"Dedicated sport"
"I try to be a mentor," Cerutti said. "We put the kids in line that had to be put in line. Swimming is a really dedicated sport. You have to be there every day at practice or you’re not going to get out of it what you can. We have to make sure everybody is working hard."
"I have heard that there’s a group of younger kids, swimmers that are coming up," Sotola said. "Hopefully, we can replenish some of it for next year."

The Guilderville team will also need more swimmers to come out if they want to be able to compete with the top teams. There are pre-competitive swimming classes in Voorheesville and Sotola is hoping that becomes a feeder program for the Guilderville team. The swimming is from 6 to 7 p.m. and goes for pretty much the entire year.
"We need numbers," Sotola said. "The good ones will stay and the ones that see that it is not for them will not. Hopefully, larger numbers will mean more talent to work with."

Despite losing the majority of their meets, the swimmers are still having a good time.
"I think so," Sotola said. "I have to yell at them from time to time, but then I forget about it in five minutes. No one has made a big deal and there’s been no revolt. Nobody’s told me I’m a god-awful coach. They are getting better times and that’s important. They see the hard work they’re doing is paying off. And that is the best motivator for them."