As the swim season comes to an end, the girls swim and dive team only has one more competition left. Feb. 1 and 2 were A leagues, and Feb 7 and 8 will be the state meet.
A league is a Continental League Championship meet. It determines which team in the Continental League is the best overall team. In this meet, some of the best swimmers compete to see who goes on to state.
On the first day of A leagues, all of the swimmers competed. The top swimmers from that meet also competed on Saturday. The girls who won the finals will compete in the state meet. “We have 12 individual state qualifiers and are bringing a total of 18 girls to the state meet. One specific time we are aiming for is All-American Consideration in the 200 Medley Relay. Right now we have a 1:48.98 in the 200 Medley Relay; All-American Consideration is 1:46.44. The girls on this specific relay are Keeley LaRiviere, Aimee Burton, Danielle Roney and Claire Bigler,” said Andy Farner, swim coach.
This year, Farner has won Continental League Coach of the Year for the fourth time. This is voted on by the head coaches of all the schools in the league. “Andy always pushes us to do our best and helps us to learn from our mistakes. He is very encouraging and makes us strive to work harder,” said Rachel Watson, senior.
With only one meet left, the seniors will also have to say goodbye to the high school swim team, on which many of them have created incredible memories and friendships with their teammates. They also now have a chance to look back and analyze how much they have enjoyed swimming over the years. Senior Allie Jacob said, “This has been my best season yet because it’s my senior season and I am a captain. The best part is being able to cheer people on and lead by example. I also love watching people drop their times. This year could not have been a better senior year.”
Although the seniors will have to say goodbye to their teammates, Alaina Oscai, senior, said, “I think the seniors have made a big impact on the swim team this year. I feel like we’ve really bonded and even though we are graduating this year, I will never forget the memories and friendships I have made.”
Paige Martin, Staff Reporter
