Although neither team advanced past Sectionals, swimmers made major advancements during their season.
“No one qualified or made it past Sectionals, but it was a good season overall, and I’m definitely going to miss the seniors and all of their hard work that they contributed,” sophomore Emma Tschopp said.
Senior Eleanor Guipe will remember a successful relay finish.
“We jumped three spots, placing third and out-touching Mooresville by three seconds,” Guipe said. “That relay finish made us get fourth place overall, outscoring Perry by one point.”
Meanwhile, the boys earned a third place finish in their Sectional competition.
“We placed third overall and in relays. We also placed pretty well in a lot of the other events so our hard work throughout the season paid off, and it also helped a lot when we focused the past two weeks on the small mechanics that sometimes get overlooked in regular season,” freshman Nick McCoy said.
Sophomore David Brenton predicted a third place finish for the team.
“My goals were not necessarily set in stone, but I wanted to get faster in my 100 backstroke, which ended up happening at Mid-State. I never knew I would become a butterflier, yet it is now one of my fastest events. The team’s goal overall was to place in the Top 3 at Sectionals. Last year, the boys got fourth, and I bet we could squeeze into third,” Brenton said.
The girls added some fun to the boys Sectional by carrying on a team tradition.
“We’ve been planning this for four years. We dressed up as KISS. We painted our faces the morning of; we woke up at 6:30 a.m. to do it. I ordered my entire outfit off of Amazon. We also go there at 9 a.m. to tailgate at Franklin until the meet started at 1 p.m.,” senior Leanne Graves said.
Senior Ethan Rose credited a new team member.
“I am really proud of our team this season and how our season turned out. We had a freshman, Nick McCoy, that really stepped up and helped us out a lot for a few of our events that we placed pretty well in,” Rose said.
In every sport, freshmen have to step up and quickly adapt to the way high school sports work.
“I think the freshmen have added life and personality to the team, which made the season more enjoyable. I’m excited to swim with them next year along with seeing how next year’s freshmen will adapt to our atmosphere,” sophomore Annie Crissman said.
Coach Brooke Gillis noted the importance of this year’s freshmen as early as mid-December when the team was building momentum.
“We have a strong mix of underclassmen with seven sophomores and eight freshmen,” she said. “The younger athletes are really embracing their roles and pushing the team forward with their energy and drive.”
Junior Maria Mears will remember this season for its positive energy.
“The season went very well this year because everyone was very positive,” Mears said.
The team had to work towards their successful season; it was not simply handed to them.
“Our attitude at morning practices at the beginning of the season wasn’t really good, but we talked about it and improved a lot on it,” sophomore Berenice Leorat-Ruiz said.
It is always bittersweet at the end of the season when seniors move on.
“I do not think I would change anything because it went really well for my senior season and it was a great way to end my high school swim career,” senior Arya Gokhale said.
Many eam members used pre-season to prepare and intend to work on specific skills during this pre-season.
“I swim year-round for the Greenwood Gators, so I will be swimming over the summer and in the fall before the next high school season starts. I will also be working out in the gym and doing extra cardio,” Brenton said.
Even though the season just ended, athletes face a quick turnaround to get everyone prepared for next year.
“I will start pre-season this summer, and it will mostly be swimming with club kids and improving outside of the typical high school team,” Mears said.
