As a house captain, captain of the swim team, and first-place winner of the 100-yard freestyle for the Catholic Conference, this Athlete of the Month shows himself to be an incredibly ambitious and determined individual. Sam Craft ‘23 is a part of the BC High swim team, where he serves as a captain, and is also on the Kingfish club swim team. He recently helped the team to achieve third in the Catholic Conference championship and won first place in the 100-yard freestyle. Furthermore, the team placed third at South Sectionals and BC High was named South Sectional Champions in the 4×100 freestyle relay. He is also shown to have an incredibly friendly and welcoming personality as a mentor to the underclassmen on his team and in his house.

Sam started swimming around age 8 but stopped after a year because he had not yet grasped the beauty of the sport. He then picked up every sport he could, playing baseball, lacrosse, hockey, basketball, and soccer. Eventually, he couldn’t resist the individuality of swim and started again. “I wanted to be a part of a sport that’s unforgiving in the most rewarding way,” he explains. “I didn’t want any success that I didn’t earn,” he continued. Many athletes in seemingly individual sports like swimming may understand and also enjoy this feeling of depending on pure grit and determination. This success did not come without some struggles. At the beginning of his junior year swim season, Sam had Covid and was forced to miss the first three meets. After healing from Covid and starting to pick up momentum, he got sick again, missing another three weeks of the season. Furthermore, the team did not have a convenient pool to train in that year, and they had to take the bus to Weymouth every day. This meant only thirty minutes of swimming every day, which not only affected the team’s practice time but also hindered their morale and bonding. Nevertheless, they resolved these issues this year, and now have an hour and a half at MIT to practice daily—the team has never felt more connected. “We are constantly pushing each other,” Sam explains, “We have formed and indulged in a true brotherhood this year, and all in an immensely productive training environment.” 

Sam attributes his successes largely to his teammates. They have always supported him and pushed him to be better. “It would be impossible for me to find success in swimming without my teammates,” he says. “The times that swimming has gone my way can only be attributed to my brothers, across all grade levels, who show up ready to race until we’re absolutely exhausted every day at practice,” he continues. Sam explains that a huge motivation for him while racing is knowing that his teammates are also working their hardest and that this pushes him to be better. His teammates feel the same, and an underclassman on the team said, “Sam pushes me to be better, and is a constantly friendly and supportive captain.”

Also serving as a Teresa house captain, Sam has an incredibly busy schedule. Though he says that this position comes with a lot of work, he says the work does not drain him. “It’s hard, it takes a lot of time,” Sam explains, “But I wouldn’t have it any other way. I love every second spent with my housemates.” He seems very grateful to have his position and how he is supporting and mentoring younger students, saying that he wishes he had this program when he was an underclassman.

All in all, Sam is shown to be a man of great character, as well as a leader in both the swim team and Teresa house. He always finds time to help others, and is one of the founders of the St. Romero Project, through which students package food for low-income families with dietary restrictions in Boston. He exemplifies all of the Grad at Grad qualities and is overall a very well-rounded student. Underclassmen in his house and on the swim team have nothing but positive and praising things to say about him and his accepting personality. Through all these accomplishments and his love for guiding and mentoring others, he is an obvious choice for this Athlete of the Month.