Traditionally, graduating high school seniors who compete on summer swim teams are granted that last summer before college to have one more summer swim season, but since last summer was a COVID one, Suburban Swim League of the Lehigh Valley extended that offer for this summer.

Taking the league up on the offer were Samantha Taylor and Trevor Lenig, both about to enter their sophomore year of college and both members of the Bethlehem Stingrays, formerly known as the Hanover Stingrays.

“I was really hoping they wouldn’t cancel the season last year because it had already been two months of the lockdown, so I was like, I want to see my friends again. I was super upset because it was senior year, the last year of swimming so I wanted to have one more,” said Lenig. “I’m really happy they let us come back. I’m having a lot of fun with it.”

Lenig will be entering his sophomore year at Lafayette College, and Taylor will be entering her sophomore year at Shippensburg University.

“I’m having a lot of fun and I’m excited, just because I was really sad that we didn’t get our senior year because I’ve been swimming for Hanover/Bethlehem since I was six,” said Taylor, who is also an assistant coach this year.

“I grew up through Hanover and it’s super important to me. I was so excited when Evan (Kocon) asked me to coach because I’ve always wanted to coach. I have the 11-12’s during the second practice and then I have the 8 & under girls for the third practice, and I love it. They’re such a fun age group.”

Although Lenig is not a coach, he’s happy to help when needed.

“I’ve kind of enjoyed parents coming up to me and saying, ‘Can you help the kids get into their lanes?’ especially with crescendoes to keep them grouped up,” he said. “It’s been honestly a lot of fun. During middle school, I swam club only, and I feel like it made me better, but summer swim is just so much more fun. It’s a totally different vibe.”

Taylor and Lenig’s last summer swim meet was the Suburban Swim League Championships on July 24 at Lower Macungie Pool.

“I don’t swim in college so it’s been almost a year and a half since I swam, so it’s an adjustment for sure,” Lenig said. “One of my favorite things about swimming is racing people. Obviously coming back, it’s taken longer to adjust, but I’ll take pointers from any coach at any time.”

Taylor is a member of the swim team at Shippensburg where the Raiders held virtual meets this season.

“It was good. It was fun,” said Taylor. “We were going to have our PSAC meet the end of April, so we did a couple virtual meets, and then we went to York and swam the conference meet, so it was really exciting because it was the first competition I’d been at since high school states.”

Bethlehem Stingrays coach Evan Kocon was thrilled to have Taylor and Lenig back for one more summer swim season.

“Being able to have Sammy and Trevor swim with us this year was truly great,” Kocon said. “Their leadership of the younger swimmers and the team as a whole was a tremendous asset which will be missed. I hope they enjoyed being able to wrap up their summer swimming careers as Stingrays, and our team wishes them the best as they embark on their life journeys.”