90 straight wins! Syosset boys swimming and diving makes Nassau history
Syosset's boys swimming and diving team in November 2025. Credit: Syosset High School/Lucia Garcia
For a decade, the Syosset boys swimming and diving team has been building a legacy. Now, they’ve solidified it.
With a 105-53 win over Sewanhaka on Nov. 25, Syosset secured its 89th straight dual meet victory to break the Nassau record. Syosset then defeated Garden City, 106-65, on Monday as their streak reached 90.
The record for consecutive dual meet wins was previously set by Plainview-Old Bethpage JFK in the 1970s.
“It’s a really special accomplishment,” Syosset coach Mike Cipollino said.
“It took years of dedicated swimmers and divers in order to make it happen. No matter what’s on the line, we take every meet very seriously and always put our best effort forward. When we do that, we get good outcomes.”
Syosset began its lengthy win streak on Jan. 13, 2015. Since then, Cipollino said the team has fostered a culture of success that his athletes work to uphold every year. “Back then, we were just trying to win a meet,” Cipollino said. “One meet turned into a couple of meets in a row. We continued to get better and better throughout the year and, next thing you know, we were stacking seasons.”
Junior captain Reid O’Connell has been an impact performer since his freshman year, helping to lead Syosset to consecutive Nassau titles in the past two seasons.
O’Connell notched three first-place finishes to help clinch Syosset’s record-breaking win. He led off the 200-yard freestyle and medley relays, earning times of 1:36.22 and 1:44.23, respectively. He also took the 200-yard freestyle crown with a time of 1:45.79.
“It’s really special that we can carry on the hard work and the legacy of the kids who were on the team before us,” O’Connell said. “I was like 6 years old when this streak started, so it’s really cool to be part of something that’s been so many years in the making.”
Freshman Ryan Yao also notched three first-place finishes: two with O’Connell on the freestyle and medley relay teams and an individual crown in the 200-yard IM (:58.53).
O’Connell said his team’s success is something everyone will want to be part of.
“It’s great to set a new standard and kind of get our name out there,” O’Connell said. “I think it’ll make kids, even at the middle school level, strive to be on the varsity team and part of this program.”
“It’s an opportunity for them to reflect back on the generations of swimmers that have passed through the high school before them,” Cipollino said. “So many athletes have committed to the sport — to the team — in order to make this possible. It’s also an opportunity to think forward about the legacy, the lasting impression they’re having on the athletes to come who are hoping to carry the streak forward.”
Tess Ferguson is a reporter on Newsday's high school sports staff. She joined the team after graduating with a journalism degree from Ithaca College in 2025.
