By Ben Cooper ’16

After high expectations coming into the season, the girls’ swim and dive team lived up to the hype and more. They completed their own version of a “triple crown” by winning not only the Division 2 title, but also The Washington Metropolitan Swim and Dive Championship (known as “Metros”), the Regional 3A/4A Championship, and the State title. Previously, the girls’ team had never won a Metros Championship or a State Championship.

At Metros, it was expected that the Warriors would perform well; however, considering that many private schools take part in the championship, it was unclear just how far up the standings they would be. Senior Morgan Hill put on a show as she broke her own county and school records with times of 22.95 seconds and 49.07 seconds in the 50-yard freestyle and 100-yard freestyle, respectively. The girls also won the 400-yard Freestyle Relay, in which freshman Sophia Ryan, senior Margarita Ryan, junior Jaimy Wenhold, and Hill collectively achieved a time of 3:20.64.

Coach Brendan Lees credited the win to the team’s effort during practices. “They have worked extremely hard to have the success that they’ve had. They’ve put a lot of hours in the pool and it’s fun for them to see the benefits of it,” said Lees.

At the State Championship, Hill led the way with a new state record in the 50-yard Freestyle and the 100-yard Freestyle. She also participated in a 400-yard Freestyle Relay victory with the members previously listed and a 200-yard Medley Relay victory along with freshman Erica Hjelle, freshman Emma Eustace, and Margarita Ryan. Lees thought that Churchill would be a tough competitor; however, the Warriors won in dominating fashion, scoring 310.5 points compared to 237 points from second place Walter Johnson and 225.5 points scored by third place Churchill.

Hill has participated on the swim team for all four years of high school and will continue to swim at the University of Virginia. Her leadership and ability has been an extremely valuable asset, yet without everyone being fully invested into the work necessary for success, the Warriors wouldn’t have been able to claim victories to the many championships won throughout the year.

“Team cohesion was a huge deal for us. At all of our meets, everyone genuinely wanted to be there which made the season so much more enjoyable and we swam better because of it,” said Hill.

The success shown throughout the season is a result of high team synergy, dedication, and overall talent amongst each swimmer. Waking up at early times and attending numerous practices a week is a common for the swimmers. Their hard work provided the team with extremely successful results this year.

“It’s exhilarating to be on a team that won both Metros and States,” said senior captain Colleen Kaufman. “The hand in hand victory jump into the pool as we were announced winners of Metros has become one of my favorite memories. I will remember these moments with such a special group of girls forever.”