The girls’ JV and varsity swim teams delivered strong performances, beating Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy with a score of 138–40 on April 13th. Meanwhile, the boys’ team competed hard but fell to Loyola with a score of 129–57.
The 500 freestyle covers the greatest distance of any event in the meet, which requires both endurance and focus.
“During the race, I try to stay on pace by watching my teammates and the competition.” Varsity Swimmer Atlas Amiri ’29 said. “At the same time, I keep my mind occupied by thinking about random things, like what I want for dinner.”
This shows how not only is the event physically demanding but also mentally challenging.
“The middle of the race is the hardest, because you’re past the beginning but not yet at the end, and you still have a lot of distance left while trying to stay on pace.” Amiri said.
Additionally, Varsity Swimmer Elsie Church ’29 described what she felt before and after swimming the 500 freestyle.
“Before the race, I was kind of nervous, but after finishing, I felt proud and accomplished, and like I got better, even though I was really tired.” Church said.
Another fast-paced and technical event was the 100 IM, which requires swimmers to complete all four strokes.
JV swimmer Nola Napolitano ’29 explained the most challenging part of swimming the 100 IM.
“The hardest part of the 100 IM for me is the last 25 of freestyle because I am already so out of breath from sprinting the butterfly, backstroke, and breaststroke 25s.” Napolitano said.
This demonstrates how demanding the race is, combining endurance and precision in the transition between strokes.
“The 100 IM is very fast and exciting because it contains a 25 of every stroke, and requires me to always be thinking about the transitions between each of them.” Napolitano said.
As swim season comes to an end, the team is looking forward to competing in the Mission League Championship with prelims on April 28th and finals for those who place in the top 20 in their event on and for relay races April 30th.
