Max Buchen Crowned County Champion in 100 Breaststroke

Max Buchen traded in his tennis racket for a pair of swim goggles, and the decision to do so is already paying off.

The Westhampton Beach junior earned gold at the Suffolk County Championships at Stony Brook University on February 11, with his first-place finish in the 100-yard breaststroke, and completed the race in a personal-best 56.54 seconds. The time also earned him All-American consideration and a spot in the New York State Swimming and Diving Championships at Ithaca College March 3-4.

“I looked at the board and was shocked by the time I got,” Buchen said. “Becoming a county champion feels amazing, but I was very surprised to see I dropped over a second from my previous best time. I was stuck at 58 seconds for a couple of months.”

His Three Village Swim Club coach wasn’t surprised, though, saying he knew the swimmer had it in him.

“I was there. I got to watch that race,” said Mark Anderson, who added that Buchen earned his last personal record at a club meet back in December. “Going into it, I felt he had a really, really good chance of winning it, but I didn’t quite know how fast he was going to swim. He excelled in that event.”

Buchen, whose time was over three seconds quicker than the second-place finisher, has been a member of the Setauket-based swim club since he was in sixth grade, and prior to that, was part of the West Islip Islanders, because the district does not have a swim program. Around the time of the COVID-19 pandemic, his freshman and sophomore years, he put swimming aside to focus on tennis, but has decided to make a permanent switch back.

“I am better at swimming than tennis, and I also like the idea of beating myself rather than an opponent, which swimming has to offer,” Buchen said. “Having the honor of being a county champion reassures me that I’m on the right path.”

Anderson said he’s seen the track Buchen could be on all along. The junior broke records with the club as a 12-year-old in the 50, 100 and 200-yard breaststroke — times that still stand in the record books. But Anderson admits he was surprised to see how quickly Buchen reacclimated himself to the pool.

“When he reached back out in September, I was a little hesitant, because people who take three or four years off and decide to come back don’t do very well,” the coach said. “Swimming is like running — you have to do it very regularly to stay in shape. That feel for the water kind of disappears even after taking a week off, so for him to take off that much time to focus on a completely different sport and come back and basically have it be like he never left is really incredible.”

He said part of the ease in transition has to do with Buchen’s natural talents.

“The really good swimmers have a feel for the water and understand how their body can move through the water better than the average person, and Max just has that understanding about how his body works,” Anderson said. “He has great body awareness, so he’s able to move really efficiently. I even take some things away that he does really well and try to show them to other swimmers, saying, ‘Hey, let’s try to emulate what Max is doing here.’”

His other club coach, Christopher Brandenberger, who is also the head coach of St. Joseph’s University’s women’s team, also saw it, even just having met him in September.

“When I first saw him swim, I had to ask Mark how long he was away from swimming, because his stroke looked awesome,” Brandenberger said. “It’s special working with Max because he’s extremely talented, but also one of the hardest workers — he’s pretty quiet, but is always asking questions and trying to figure out how to get better. When you have that combination in any athlete, it’s a coach’s dream.”

The interesting thing about the breaststroke is it’s the slowest of the four competitive strokes, and it’s also the most difficult to master.

“There’s a lot going on while it not being a very efficient stroke to swim. So, those that are able to do it at a high level have a really high swimming IQ. Max just gets it,” Anderson said. “It’s been really fun to watch him get right back to his old form and start swimming really well again for us. It’s like he never missed a beat.”

He said it’s also been astonishing to see the changes in the swimmer, who has grown over a foot-and-a-half taller, leaned out and bulked up since the coach last saw him.

“It’s even been pretty incredible how his times have improved just over the last few months,” Brandenberger said. “We’ve seen him do some workouts out of the pool and you can see he's very athletic — and he’s been able to quickly translate that athleticism into his training at practice and racing in competitions.”

The junior set another club record — 56.98 seconds — for 16-year-olds this past weekend as part of the open 400 medley relay team at the Senior Metropolitan Championship Qualifiers. That relay also broke a club record for the event, set in 2017. Buchen said being part of the Three Village team has helped him, tremendously.

“There are so many fast kids my age who I can compete with,” he said. “The coaches have also been very helpful and push me to the limits.”

Buchen takes part in six varsity meets over the course of the high school swim season, while simultaneously competing in club events. Section XI, the governing body for athletics in Suffolk County, runs separate meets for independent swimmers whose schools do not have a team. The junior attends the events with Westhampton Beach languages other than English (LOTE) teacher Lisa Lagattolla, who acts as his chaperon so he can qualify for competition. Buchen is the only male swimmer from the area, and Lagattolla has daughters who swim in the fall.

“Max is a driven and dedicated young man that strives for success,” said Jason Cohen, director of physical education, health and athletics for Westhampton Beach School District. “More importantly, he is a humble athlete that is grateful for his success.”

The junior also touched the wall in 22.85 seconds in the 50 freestyle at the county championships, good for 10th. Sixth through 11th place finished inside the 22-second mark, with the bottom five slots ending the race within tenths of a second apart from each other.

“The energy at counties was unlike any other meet I’ve been to,” Buchen said. “I think that gave me the extra boost of adrenaline I needed to get those times.”

He said he’s proud to be a Hurricane and represent his school, even without a team.

“I feel great, and happy representing my school because it sheds a light on a sport that’s not very relevant in Westhampton,” Buchen said.

“With the work he puts into swimming his results were well-deserved,” Brandenberger said. “This is a great accomplishment for him, and a sign of greater things to come at the state championship meet in March.”

Anderson said he sees Buchen placing in the Top 3 next week. The junior should also, the coach said, finish in the Top 8 at the 2023 Region 1 (North) Speedo Sectionals in Ithaca at the end of March. Buchen even qualified for the National Club Swimming Association Junior National Qualifiers at Rosen Aquatic and Fitness Center in Orlando in mid-March.

“His time is very competitive,” Anderson said. “He brings a really high level of breaststroke to the club, and we joke with him that maybe he should take some more time off before his next big meets, because it’s worked so well for him in the past.”

Buchen said he doesn’t see that happening any time soon, adding swimming will remain the focus as he looks to be competitive enough to receive college offers next year.

“All of this recent success means a lot, and it gives me the confidence and the drive to swim faster,” Buchen said. “The faster the times I get, the more excited and motivated I am to keep on improving.”