But at this year’s meet, the Eagles added a second mark to the other side of their chest. The initials “JT” were inscribed on each of Gonzaga’s swimmers and divers, alongside a drawn-on cancer ribbon in tribute to freshman swimmer Jack Tovornik, who was diagnosed with leukemia in mid-December.

Since Tovornik’s diagnosis, the Eagles’ collective goal has been centered on winning for their ailing teammate rather than continuing the streak, senior Malcolm McKenzie said. With Tovornik out of the hospital and back cheering on his teammates at Eppley Recreation Center in College Park, Gonzaga did just that. The Eagles finished with 773 points, well clear of second-place DeMatha (547) and third-place Georgetown Prep (411).

Tovornik began feeling sick in early December as he trained for meets such as WMPSSDL, where he probably would have competed in the “A” final of multiple events. After taking a blood test, he received the diagnosis. As his teammates trained for their championship season, Tovornik was sequestered for weeks at the hospital.

“Being in the hospital that long, I just lost so much muscle and endurance,” Tovornik said. “I was just able to start getting back in the water this week, so that’s really big.”

He stood poolside Saturday and cheered on teammates such as McKenzie, who won the 100-yard butterfly in 49.17 seconds and the 50 freestyle in 20.61; the Eagles also swept each of the three relays. Swimmers from multiple schools donned “JT” on their bodies during the meet.

“Me and my brother are really close. We’re each other’s biggest supporters,” said senior captain Chase Tovornik, who started the trend of writing Jack’s initials on his teammates’ chests. “To see him having fun and cheering on this team and to be a part of everything is really awesome to see.”

As the meet concluded, the Eagles plunged into the water en masse in celebration of the continuation of their dominant streak. Jack Tovornik jumped, splashed and sang with his teammates, a memory he said he won’t soon forget.

Holton-Arms wins third straight

Holton-Arms didn’t place first in a single relay Saturday, and the Panthers had just one swimmer place first in the individual events — senior Nadia Thomas won both the 200-yard individual medley (2:06.65) and the 100-yard backstroke (55.54).

But the Panthers’ depth carried them to a third-straight WMPSSDL girls’ title. Coach Malena Lair-Ferrari’s team had a bevy of swimmers finish within the top eight during the prelims, allowing the team to score 634 points to easily outpace Paul VI (403) and National Cathedral (354).

“They definitely show up for this meet,” Lair-Ferrari said. “The team really understood this year that it was important to swim fast on Friday night [in prelims] to guarantee a good spot for finals.”