HIGH SCHOOL BOYS' SWIMMING: HORSEHEADS' LI LOOKS TO CAP SUCCESSFUL SENIOR YEAR AT STATES (2024-02-29)

By Brian Fees
Southern Tier Sports Report
There is little that Shoonfon Li hasn’t accomplished in his high school career.

He’s been on a team that won league and sectional titles. He’s won individual sectional titles, made states and won a state medal on a relay.

The one line missing from Li’s high school resume is state individual medalist, and that’s something he hopes to add this weekend as he heads to Ithaca College for the New York State Championships on Friday and Saturday.

“I am hoping I will be able to move up if not overall, but public school and I hope to get on the podium,” Li said. “It’s going to take some work to have a shot, but hopefully I can take a top 10 finish back home.

“Definitely it’s been on my mind since I started the season. I’m hoping with training and taper hopefully get a medal. Maybe not a state championship, but hopefully get on the podium and be able to be in an A final instead of B and C. It would be a great feeling to be able to experience that and experience what it feels like to be top 8.”

Li qualified for states in the 200 free, 200 IM, 100 back, 100 breaststroke and 500 free, as well as a pair of relays, giving him plenty of options for states.

“Definitely helps with my options, it gives me more opportunities,” Li said. “It’s definitely nice being able to swim well enough to qualify in futile events and have a choice that helps me plan and work out my race strategy. Being able to choose what I want to swim and improve on, it helps me a lot.”

Li will swim in the 200 IM where he is the seventh seed at 1:53.99. He will also be part of the 200 medley relay who is in the first heat with a seed of 1:40.53. Li is swimming in the third heat of the 100 backstroke. His seed time of 52.86 is the 12 seed. Li is also swimming in the 200 free relay in the first heat with a seed time of 1:30.26. Horseheads is the 29th seed in the 200 medley relay and 27th in the 200 free relay.

“For me it’s been a pretty fun season,” Li said. “It is my last year. Just trying to make the most of it. Make good memories with the team. Enjoy the team we have had. Sad it’s coming to an end, but glad I was able to make the most of it.”

A year ago Li didn’t see the improvement in the 200 IM that he wanted, so he questioned what would happen this year, but has been happy to see the big time drops this year.

“I started out, I was kind of doubtful what I could do for the two IM, it was something I didn’t know how I was going to do in that especially since last season I didn’t improve in it. I dropped a good amount of time early in the season and it gave me a boost of confidence. It’s been a good start and hopefully I can improve a little more at states.”

For Li he came into the season right off a club season with Southern Tier Aquatics, and he knows that helped him have a head start when he hit the pool for Horseheads.

“Definitely having a little head start helped a little,” Li said. “Being able to swim having the competition with Tyler (Schultz of Chenango Valley) and being able to swim more of my friends pushed e to try my best and it got me the best times, so I’m happy about that. Practicing before the season started helped me too.”

It’s different for Li to think this is his final state meet.

“Definitely is kind of odd living through my last year,” Li said. “My sixth year now of being on this team and me being the one leading the team is definitely something I’m going to miss, but I’m glad I was able to have the opportunity to make some good friends along the way.”

For Li to have a bunch of teammates at states with him just makes things even more fun.

“Definitely being able to bring some more people to states feels good and also just being able to keep continuing the relay team and being able to put ourselves on the state roster, it feels good, I’m glad I am able to be a part of that and help the team with that,” Li said.

Li is hoping that sometime soon he’ll be making a decision on college and be able to swim at the next level.

“I’m hoping that the college decision is coming soon, to be able to narrow down where I want to go, ideally I plan to swim in college,” Li said. “Maybe not for money, but swim somewhere where it’s a competitive experience. I’d like to experience the undergraduate and college swimming experience and bring those memories into my life. We will see how the admission process goes and where it takes me.”

Li knows that states, and big club meets, only can help him with the college process.

“Definitely just being able to improve my teams at states or ant another high level meet, being able to just experience placing higher is going to help me a little in the college process,” Li said. “Having the kind of versatility in the strokes and the longer events helps with the college recruiting process and puts myself out there basically.”

For Li there was things he worked on in the offseason to help him this year.

“I have been working on the back and the breaststroke in the offseason, now it’s mainly focusing more on the fly and the freestyle,” Li said. “I think it helps with my IM and the splits have gotten a little faster. Hopefully working on the fly and freestyle more will get my times down and I’ll drop another second in the 200 IM hopefully.”

As he heads to his final meet as a member of the Horseheads swim team it’s definitely a different feeling for Li.

“It feels kind of weird, it feels like time has gone by so fast and everything,” Li said. “Im ready to make the most of it and have a last season for me.

“It definitely feels kind of a little sad, it’s my last meet, and there are some things I wish I could have done earlier, but at the same time I feel like I’m ready for the next chapter and hopefully where it takes me if I get into college swimming and there is another four years of a new experience. I’m excited for the new opportunities there as well. I’m kind of sad, but also excited for the next four years.”
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IN PHOTO: Shoonfon Li.