By Steve Svetovich
Dunmore senior Anthony Bonavoglia last month became the first swimmer in school history to reach 1,000 points.
Son of William and Christine Bonavoglia, Anthony reached the 1,000-point swimming milestone during a recent meet against Wallenpaupack.
“It was electric,” Anthony said. “It was a pretty good feeling being the first to do it.” Anthony is a four-year member of the Dunmore swimming team.
The stalwart swimmer’s older sister, Savannah Bonavoglia, now a sophomore at the University of Scranton, is a former member of the swimming team at Scranton Prep.
“I saw my sister swimming in high school, so I figured it would be a good idea for me to try it out at Dunmore. And it’s worked out.”
Anthony said he started swimming at age six, then did it competitively in middle school at Dunmore. He then decided to continue at the high school level.
Anthony said he works hard to be a good swimmer and takes extra swimming practices at the CYC in Wilkes-Barre. “Going there has helped me become a better swimmer.”
He is a two-time district medalist in the 100-fly. “It takes a lot of hard work and practice to excel at that,” he said. “You need to work on your technique. There are a lot of good swimmers in this area, so you need to keep working hard.”
Anthony has a 3.7 grade point average at Dunmore. His best academic subject is math.
He is also a two-year member of the Dunmore golf team and three-year member of Dunmore’s track and field team. He throws the discus on the track and field team.
Diane Pegula is Anthony’s swimming coach at Dunmore. “She tells me to work hard and be a good teammate. She tells me to make sure everyone is upbeat.”
Anthony said he learned a lot from his parents. “My parents tell me to be responsible. Go to practice and go to school and work hard.”
The standout swimmer talked about what it takes to excel at his favorite sport. “You need to work hard and really dedicate yourself to the practices.”
Anthony said he is not sure where he will attend college, but he knows he wants to continue swimming. “That will be a factor as to where I go,” he said. “I would like to study business in college and continue my swimming career.”
He likes listening to music in his spare time and would like to see Metallica in concert.
The multi-talented senior said he has enjoyed his four years at Dunmore High School.
“It’s been a lot of fun,” he said. “I have learned a lot from all of the different athletes here.”
