Gowanus Canal Swim Team (Est. 1634)

Season Record 0-0-1

Season Opener - #15 Gowanus Canal Swim Team vs #9 Newtown Creek

The Fall 2025 season for the Gowanus Canal Swim Team varsity athletes opened this Monday evening with a journey to the other side of the borough and a matchup with crosstown rivals Newtown Creek. Head Coach Billy Martin led the team on the opening week tradition of swimming from their practice facilities on W 9th st to their opponents facilities. Heavy rains and storm drain overflows along the East River led to the loss of two participants, as junior Peter Stuyvesant and sophomore James Cagney came down with illness.

In the absence of the younger stars, it was familiar faces leading the GCST against Newtown, who themselves were anchored by senior star Thaddeus Kosciuszko - due to swim at Warsaw University this coming fall. Kosciuszko, a native of Poland, led Newtown to victories in all three relays in which he participated, fending off a late charge from Gowanus senior Frederick Law Olmsted in the 400 meter butterfly relay.

In the singles events, Gowanus evened the odds, with wins from seniors Shirley Chisholm and Lana Michele Moorer enough to leave things tied going into the men's 200M breaststroke.

It was at this point that tragedy struck the meet, as a sudden rip current led to that heat's swimmers being sucked into a large storm drain. As of writing, no swimmers have been found. A service will be held for the team at a later date, with Gowanus Swim Team founder Robert Moses mourning, "If we'd only replaced that canal with a highway this never would have happened."