The Newburgh Free Academy boys’ swimming and diving team finished section at last year’s Section 9 championship meet and came within .07 seconds of sending the 400-yard freestyle relay team to last year’s NYS Federation meet.

They were the Orange County Interscholastic Athletic Association Division I meet champions and the dual meet champions with a 9-1 record.

The good news for the Goldbacks this year is that almost everyone is returning, with the exception of Jackson Gerbes, who graduated in 2023.

The remaining members of the relay team: Jackson Cooper, Peyton Tuttle and Jack Mummery are back, along with senior Aidan Domanico, Angelo Reade, diver Akhiir McNeil, Vicente Velasquez and Conor Mummery.

New athletes on the team include Lucas Townsend, Sean Walsh, Daniel Martin, Jacob Lazarski and Camryn Kavanagh.

The Goldbacks are scheduled to open the season on Monday with a home meet against the Red Hook Raiders and the Rhinebeck Hawks.

“We have a hardworking and deep team,” Newburgh coach Zach Williams said. “We hope to continue to get better and swim faster.”