Girls’ Swimming Wins States: Nearly Undefeated Season Leads Team to Championship

The girls’ swim team won States for the first time ever this year, with a record-fast relay time and first place trophies in two specific events on Feb. 22.

The team had a nearly undefeated regular season, which culminated in their District, Regional, and State victories.

“Going into the season we knew that we had a good chance of winning States so that was one of our big goals,” senior Corie Morton said. “…This year was definitely the best the girls’ team has ever been. We had a number of freshman that improved throughout the season, and all of the returning swimmers improved their times from the previous season, which really helped the team.”

The team’s capabilities this year proved to be unprecedented. “Winning States for the first time in swimming was surreal,” junior Jeanette Yan said. “It didn’t sink in for me that the Albemarle girls’ team had actually won States until we were designing our state rings a few weeks after!”

Morton agreed that “at first it didn’t even feel real, but once it sunk in it was exciting to see that all of our hard work paid off.”

Senior captain Jenny Russell feels that “our team has come such a long way from the get go, especially with getting brand new coaches and a brand new practice location.

“We have all grown into such an amazing and supportive team and it was so rewarding to win Districts, Regionals, and States for the girls,” she said. “Hard work and determination really pays off.”

Swimming requires dedication and a serious time commitment. Morton and senior captain Hannah Harper swim 28 hours a week during the season.

“Throughout the season everyone worked hard to improve their technique, endurance and strength, so by the time we got to the end of season everyone was swimming really well,” Harper said.

To prepare for States, the team, “trained really hard and mentally prepared ourselves for the races beforehand,” Yan said. “It was really important to us that we kept a positive attitude leading up to States and during the meet as well.”

At States, the girls took home multiple individual awards: Morton won second place in the 200 freestyle and the 500 freestyle, while Harper placed third in the 100 butterfly. Additionally, the team won both the 200 medley relay and the 400 freestyle relay.

The winning relays were especially important to the team’s success since relays score twice as many points as an individual first place, according to Harper.

“Being a part of the winning [200 medley] relay was such a great experience,” Yan said. “It was a group effort and not one person can be the sole reason for the relay victory; we all tried our very best and swam an amazing time, setting the new 5A record and breaking the Albemarle record for the 200 medley relay as well.”

Another factor that contributed to the team’s victory was the addition of “new swimmers who tried out for the team this year,” Yan said. “[They] had amazing talent which really created depth [meaning the whole team is strong rather than just the top swimmers] on this state-champ team.”

The team’s positive attitude is evident in their spirit. “The atmosphere at meets is so great and everyone definitely gets behind each other and supports each other,” Harper said.

“It’s so much fun to be on a team with many different groups of people in personality and age,” Yan said. “Getting to know everyone and making new friends is a different experience each year, and it’s always exciting to see what the team is capable of achieving for the season.”