After a disappointing loss of states last year, the girls swim and dive team is ready to make up for lost time.

Over summer break, the Pioneer swimmers made sure to stay active in the weight room and pool in order for this year’s competition to be on edge. “I trained with my club team this summer to be prepared for when high school swimming started,” Sophie Williams ‘22 said when asked about her summer training plans. “We also had some pre-season lifting we did this summer as a team,” she said.
Similarly, Kate Simon ‘25 also did some summer training. “This past summer I swam with my club team to prepare for high school swimming,” Simon said. According to various team mates, Simon will definitely “be an athlete to watch this season.”

With a new season comes more opportunities for change. Setting goals for this season will encourage improvement among members of the team. “One of my goals for the season is to hopefully beat the high school record or win the Women’s All American award,” Maria Colombo ‘24 said. Beating a high school record is one of the most popular goals amongst athletes across all sports.

When swim and dive season first starts, the girls are all anxious for the same thing: state cuts. “One of my goals is to make a state cut in the season before the conference meet,” Caroline Flermoen ‘23 said. “However, one of the most important goals is to make self-improvement in the 50 and 500 freestyle,” she said.

The girls swim and dive team can hardly wait for this season to begin. Seniors are excited to welcoming underclassmen, finally having a normal season after the pandemic, and bond with their teammates. “I am looking forward to getting to know everyone on the team a bit better as well as training alongside my friends and teammates,” Williams said. The incoming freshmen are surely excited to meet new teammates and experience high school swimming. “I’m looking forward to the team aspect of high school swimming and all the fun traditions they do on the team and all together,” Simon said.

Overall, with the Girls Swim and Dive teams depth and drive to succeed at states, this team will be one of the top to watch.

*This story is from the Oct. 2021 edition of The East Vision.