Q&A with Weston swimmer, senior Max Nelson

WESTON, Mass. — Maxwell (Max) Nelson started competitively swimming at 6 years old with the Wayland Junior Warriors Summer League. From that moment on, there was no stopping him. He swims with both Weston’s Red Tide Varsity team and Charles River Aquatics and is known to be a highly competitive swimmer, who is driven to win. He also can swim the butterfly (one of the more difficult strokes) for incredibly long distances, once voluntarily swimming it for an entire high school practice – roughly 3600 yards.

His drive to win has landed him many accomplishments, including:

• 3 Team D2 State Titles (Covid canceled one State Championship)
• 2 Team Sectional Titles
• 4 Team DCL Titles
• Member of 200 Yard Free Relay D2 State Meet Record in 2023
• 2023 D2 State Champion in 200 Yard Freestyle, 100 Yard Butterfly, 200 Free Relay and 400 Free Relay
• 100 Yard Fly Varsity WHS Record
• Member of 200 Yard Free, 400 Yard Free and 200 Yard Medley Pool Relay WHS Records
• Member of 200 Yard Free Relay Varsity WHS Record
• Member of 400 Free Relay Wayland High School Pool Record

Further, Max is committed to Swim at Babson College come the fall.

Congrats, Max!

Interview with Max:

What are your personal goals within your sport/athletic dreams?

Max Nelson: I would like to continue to swim competitively in college and set a Babson College record.

What is your biggest challenge in your sport?

Nelson: Balancing weight training, academics and swim practice.

What is the best advice you were ever given?

Nelson: Coach Jim McLaughlin shared with me that, when approaching a race, I should be more confident, because I am highly prepared and have the ability to meet my goals. He explained that the only thing that would hold me back is my mentality.

What do you love about your sport?

Nelson: Competing in a close race against our top rivals, especially Wayland High School, which I attended for my first two years of high school.

Do you have a pregame ritual you follow?

Nelson: Yes, I love to blast music in my airpods and zone out.

What do you like to do outside of your sport?

Nelson: Golf and travel.

Describe a mistake you made while competing and how you overcame it.

Nelson: Last year, I disqualified a record-breaking relay race with a premature start. I trained much harder for another month, including practicing starts, and my group reentered the relay and broke the record by even more.

What has being a member of a team taught you?

Nelson: I’ve learned how to motivate other swimmers.

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