Undoubtedly, the girl’s swim and dive team at East has an impressive reputation. From the multitude of athletes continuing their athletic journeys in college to clinching numerous conference and state championships consistently, the team has built an extraordinary legacy. While this year’s outcome may have been the same as plenty of other years; coming in with swim’s twenty-sixth state championship and the school’s a hundred and fifty-first. This swim season was anything but ordinary.
“We had lost our coach a few days before the first practice. It was emotional to get through but also made us a lot stronger as a team,” Ella Gauri ‘24 said.
Chris coached since 2008 and he was universally liked by all. His unexpected death came as a shock to many. The girls not only had to cope with the loss of an exceptional coach but also faced the additional challenge of their other coach, Butch Briggs, being hospitalized for a part of the season.
“The girls on this team relied on each other for support and I felt that the captains especially contributed and helped the team through the loss and strengthened our bond,” Ivy Chu ‘27 said.
The team had only two losses and both occurred in the initial two meets of the season. Losing to Grand Haven by 4 points and then to Jenison by 6 points. As the girls approached a pivotal final few weeks, they had two crucial meets left; the Conference and the State championship.
“Our team does so well because we all have such a close bond and we don’t compare ourselves to each other but instead we compete as a team,” Alyssa Hein ‘24 said.
Driven by the close connection of the team, the girls dominated the conference meet. Achieving an impressive high score of 554, they secured four first-place victories, five second-place finishes, and three third-place rankings. Surpassing their competitors by over 200 points, the regular season had concluded, and it was time for the State meet. In preparation, most girls on the state team dedicated the last two weeks to intensive preparation, focusing on eating well, sleeping well, and recovering.
After two weeks of training the girls traveled to Oakland University for their highly anticipated two-day State meet. Once more, they outperformed all other teams by 200 points. Clinching seven first-place wins, along with two second-place, and two third-place finishes. The team’s very own Kate Simon was named MVP of the meet. With the highest amount of points and best performance.
Gracie Putnam ‘25 reflects on the season saying, “I believe that because of the success the swim team has had with winning so many meets and state championships, our coaches teach us to be humble and kind to the other teams, even when we win by a lot. It is a good life lesson to learn class and humility during swimming and in all areas of life.”
Maria Colombo ‘24 adds, “Being a part of the swim and dive team requires discipline and hard work. The dedication and commitment needed to reach a state championship level induces a strong work ethic. These qualities can be applied to my future academics, career goals, and other areas of life as I go to college.
Congrats to all the girls who helped bring home another state championship for the swim and dive team and 151 for EGR!
