With fall sports starting up, the varsity swim team dove into their first meet of the season on Sept. 9, competing against Masters Academy and Oviedo High School at the Oviedo Aquatic Center. Swimmers raced individually and in relays for points and personal records. The team came in second place overall with frequent event finishes in top three.

Senior captain Ethan Yu competed in multiple events, including the 200-meter medley relay, the 50-meter freestyle and the 500-meter freestyle. While he did not break any records, he saw the meet as a stepping stone. One of his fastest times was 24.21 seconds in the 50-meter freestyle.

“We did pretty good in the warm-ups, keeping together, setting things up,” Yu said. “Our cheering is pretty good too. [The meet is] to see where you’re at in the season [and] see where you can go from there.”

Yu was not alone in his focus on growth. Fellow swimmer senior Michelle Henry, who raced in four events, including the 400-meter free relay and 200-meter freestyle, also emphasized a priority on development over perfection this season. One of her fastest times was the 100-meter butterfly with 1.13 minutes.

“I’ve done better, but I still am very happy for it being my first meet of the season.” Henry said. “[Next time] I could work on pacing, especially for the 200, because it’s a longer event, and it’s hard to get back in the rhythm of it. I think we have really good team spirit this year.” 

High energy was a major theme across the team during the meet. Whether it was before a relay or during a race, the team consistently showed up for each other, cheering on teammates from the edge of the pool.

The team had to get over the learning curve that resulted from the onslaught of new members this year. They are aiming to rest more strategically, improve pacing, and fine-tune technical aspects like starts and turns.

“[We] helped the newer swimmers get used to [the team], and not lose water every strike,” Yu said.

Coach Kaitlyn Loso also pointed to the team’s sense of community as one of the highlights of the meet.

“I’m just excited to see them give it their all,” Loso said. “I’m excited to get some times and experience that community, having a good meet, having fun and swimming hard.”

Looking ahead, the team’s next event is the Patriot Invitational on Sept. 20 at Lake Brantley High School.