Monta Vista Grads to Swim From Alcatraz to Honor Coach Freeman

Three recent Monta Vista High School graduates are about to undertake their greatest swim challenge yet. 

Class of 2011 graduates Sonika Singh and Nicolet Danese, as well as Andrew Stewart (2010), are swimming the 1.7-mile Alcatraz XXXI: Escape from the Rock from Alcatraz Island to the San Francisco Wharf on Sunday at 8:30 a.m.

They will swim in honor of Ron Freeman, their longtime water polo coach who died in January.

In the spirit of Freeman, a man they say encouraged them to tackle even the most daunting of obstacles, they are using the race as a fundraiser for the Ron Freeman Aquatic Scholarship.

“Even if practice were hell incarnated into a swimming pool, Ron would encourage us not to give up,” said Singh, 17.

Singh created the website Swimming for Ron Freeman to spotlight their efforts and give people a venue to donate online. They are also blogging about their day-to-day preparation for the grueling race.

The former Monta Vista students are aiming to raise $5,000 for the award, which goes to graduating seniors pursuing aquatic sports, and they are up to $800. They are seeking pledges for every minute under 75 in which they can complete the race, as well as general donations for their participation.

Yet the trio's fundraising efforts will not stop at the finish line. They will collect donations until Aug. 16, and then present the money to Monta Vista's Athletic Booster Department on Aug. 23, the first day of school.

The students have been swimming laps every day, preparing to make the plunge into the frigid waters on a route that Danese joked only one escaped prisoner was ever able to undertake.

“This has been a big adventure for us all,” said Danese, 17, who has been swimming competitively since she was 6.

Singh, Danese and Stewart have approached local businesses Freeman often frequented with the team, such as Jake’s Pizza in Saratoga, impressed by the outpouring of support.

A Homestead High graduate, Freeman coached water sports at the school for three decades. He was 52 when he died of a heart attack after a high school basketball game.

The Ron Freeman Aquatic Scholarship was established by Monta Vista High in February, and Singh and Danese were among its first recipients, receiving $500 each for college. Sandlot Hero, a nonprofit that recognizes youth for community service, also recently developed an award in honor of Freeman.

Singh will soon attend University of Chicago, and Danese the University of the Pacific in Stockton. Stewart, who co-coached water polo with Freeman while at Monta Vista, just finished his first year at the University of Oregon.

The three are proud to honor the man they knew as their coach for all four years of high school, said Singh.

“Ron was consistency on a rainy day,” she said. “He was a father figure to everyone.”

Added Danese, “Ron would show you the power of the individual but also the power of the team. He would be proud of us if he were here.”