On Friday, January 23, 2026, the Skippermen, Hingham-Cohasset combined swim teams, hosted their final home meet of the season against Silver Lake-Whitman Hanson. 

Along with both the girls and the boys teams having a great meet, the Skippermen celebrated their senior night. The team has a total of seven seniors, five of which are from Hingham. Ella Cignetti, Lila Johnson, Emma Izmirlic, Bryan Ma, Kyle Donnegan, Johnny Appleton, and Sam DeMello, all received thoughtfully decorated posters with images from their time on the high school swim team and a few baby pictures.

Amelia Byrne, a sophomore swimmer for the Skippermen, noted, “All the senior posters looked so good and I’m glad we had a win on senior night.”

The girls won the meet, with a score of 92 to 52, and the boys won 18 to 9. The boys’ score was low, because their opponent only had one boy competing, so the scorers did not score the boys for most of the meet. 

Both the Skippermen and the Skipperwomen had many highlights throughout the meet. The Skipperman girls took first and second place finishes in the 200 Medley Relay. Also, Amelia Byrne, Dory Maguire, and Peyton Phillips took the top three places in the 200 Individual Medley. Later in the meet, the Skippermen girls finished in the top three places with fast times, in the 100 Butterfly, 100 Freestyle, and the 500 freestyle (“the 500”). The 500 was an extra special event for both the Skippermen and the Skipperwomen because it was coed – all three senior girls and senior Johnny Appleton raced in the same heat. 

On the boys side, the Skippermen seniors all competed on the same 200 Medley relay team together, with Bryan Ma doing backstroke, Sam DeMello taking breaststroke, Johnny in the butterfly, and Kyle Donnegan swimming freestyle. In the 50 Freestyle event, Will DeMello, Sam DeMello, Wilson Nussbaum, Austin Smith and William Chisholm placed first through fifth. Kyle Donnegan, Austin Smith, and Edward Dippold took the top 3 places in the 100 Backstroke as well. The Skippermen boys also took first and third in the 100 Backstroke. 

Freshman swimmer Regan Puleo mentioned, “The environment on the swim team is super welcoming and cheery. This environment is mainly maintained by our amazing captains.” Many swimmers also agreed with Reagan that the seniors are what make this team culture so strong. 

Senior captain Ella Cignetti has been an integral part of the Hingham High School girls swim team. She was voted as captain of the team as a junior, making this her second year of captainship. However, during her junior year, Ella was injured and not able to compete. Yet, through this all, she continued to support her teammates by being at practice everyday and acted as a leader.

Sophomore and member of the Skippermen girls swim team Emma Lee stated, “Ella’s an amazing swimmer and captain, and she’s always super supportive.” She also helps with the meet line-ups, making sure everyone has the correct events, and is always willing to lend a helping hand on Chemistry or Biology questions. 

Lila Johnson, another senior captain on the Skippermen girls team, always brings positivity and uplifting energy everyday. Junior swimmer Teddy Lambert said, “I don’t think I have ever seen Lila without a smile on her face, even during some of the hardest practices of my life.” Lila helps drive her teammates to and from practice, to meets, and to pasta parties. She is a great leader on this team, encouraging others to “just have fun.” As an example, she is known for her pre-meet day belly flop off of the diving blocks. 

Emma Izmirlic, a four-year swimmer on the Skippermen girls team, has been one of Hingham’s top performers. She has gone to the States Championship meet each year, competing all four years in the 100 Backstroke and many relays. She makes sure to come to practice with a Strawberry Acai Refresher from Starbucks as well. Emma leads this team with her hard work and motivates her teammates to do the same. 

Senior captain Kyle Donnegan has been swimming for the Hingham boys swim team for all four years of high school. At every meet, he cheers his teammates, and swims in various events like the 200 Individual Medley and the 500 freestyle. Additionally, he supplies the team with their hype up music at practices and on bus rides to meets with his huge JBL speaker. 

Bryan Ma, a two year captain of the boys team, leads his team with hard work and humor. He is very dedicated to the sport of swimming and his team and is a crucial part of many relays and his own individual events, such as the 50 Freestyle and the 100 Backstroke. His quiet leadership cannot be matched and he is recognized for making sure everyone on the team feels included. 

The Skipperman express thanks and wish their seniors smooth sailing as they are making plans for life beyond the swim season and their high school graduations.