Natalie Lopez, Executive Editor
@nlopezcourant
The girls swim and dive team is infamous for their constant success and repeated dominance in the FCIAC and CIAC. Going into the season, the team was looking to rebuild after a loss of 11 seniors, with high hopes for the freshmen class. There were some slight changes this year, as something new was the incorporation of dry land conditioning that contributed to their success.
But, there were some concerns going into this season, “we lost a big class of seniors from last year, so going into the season we were all nervous as to how we were going to do,” senior co-captain Sophia Yee said. Despite the nerves, the team pulled out with a 6-3 record, complete with a third place finish in FCIACS with 241 points behind Greenwich and Staples.
“We also had a ton of people stepping up, and getting times we never thought they would get, so that was very exciting,” Sophia said. The team ended the year with many impressive performances, especially from junior Maddie Haley.
Haley defended her title in the 100 m backstroke with a time of 57.08, and bested her time from last year with a school and Class L record. “Last year, I won states but I was 0.1 seconds away from the state record. There are a ton of great backstrokers in Class L so I knew it was going to be a challenge. After my FCIACS swim though, I felt super confident going into states,” Maddie said.
Maddie’s success was well earned, “She’s definitely the hardest worker on the team. Everything that she accomplishes she deserves, her work ethic is incredible and I respect her so much,” Sophia said.
With her CIAC victory last season, Maddie kept the right mindset throughout her training, “having these goals for myself this season definitely influenced my training and mindset. I knew that in order to meet them, I would have to put everything into the season,” Maddie said. “Throughout the season, I kept motivated and I made sure I knew what my goals were every day. I knew I was not allowed to slack off at all if I wanted to achieve my goals.”
“Thinking forward to next year, I know we have a ton of really strong incoming freshmen and I know our sophomores and juniors will perform great again,” Maddie said. “There will be 11 seniors next year, each having their own strengths. I think next year’s going to be great and we will further increase our versatility and our record.”
