Nansemond Suffolk-Academy’s Nic Psimas was voted Suffolk News-Herald Player of the Week after his performance at the VISAA Division II Invitational.

Psimas is in his junior year at NSA and in the midst of another quality swimming season. As a sophomore last year, Psimas enjoyed a season where he qualified for states in every individual event he participated in throughout the season. This year, he feels like he has found a way to build on last season despite a slow start.

“It is going pretty well,” Psimas said of his junior season. “It started out pretty slow, but over the past few weeks I have picked it up and started dropping times.”

The Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association meet is important for many reasons. The best of the best are invited, and NSA competed well there. Psimas, in particular, won the 100-freestyle event and then took second in the 50-freestyle. After his performances, Psimas was surprised at himself. He and his teammate Ian Lotz combined to make up 31 of the boys’ team 47 points.

“It felt great to win a big meet like that,” he said. “I was really surprised beforehand when I found out that I was actually seeded at the top in both events.”

That weekend, Psimas had a feeling he was going to swim well. He had been excited all day, and his teammates were as well. He fed off that energy and ended up winning one event and placing second in another.

A lot was expected of Psimas for his junior season after having so much success last year. For not being a year-round swimmer, the junior showed he could compete at a high level. This year, he has qualified for the VISAA state meet in at least five events. Before the season he felt like he was going to have a strong junior season. He has worked harder in practices this season to ensure that he was going to improve instead of settling on what he had done last year.

“I felt like I was going to have a really good season,” he said. “It has turned out that way for the most part.”

NSA is in its second year under the direction of coach Lauren Brooks, and Psimas believes she has been a big part of his progression the last two seasons.

“She is great she really knows a lot about swimming and she helps me push myself,” he said.

Psimas’s goals for himself this season have been simple for the most part. His goal was just to place high in the big championship meets, and for the most part, he has done that.

The NSA junior normally doesn’t have that much free time, but when he does, he spends it with friends. With the swim season wrapping up, he will soon be playing baseball for NSA.