On Feb. 22, the varsity swim team achieved a historic milestone with a third-place finish at the State Competition, marking the team’s best performance in school history. The state competition featured a variety of events, including the 50 freestyle, 100 freestyle, and the 200 Individual Medley. The team’s impressive achievement spotlighted not their individual talents as swimmers, but also the deep sense of teamwork, driving them towards their success throughout the season.
“We stacked the relays this year by putting our fastest swimmers in the top two relays, and we finished fourth in the 200 IM relay and fifth in the 400 freestyle relay,” said senior Gabriel Aleman. “We were really close to [the] top three, [but] I’m happy with how it turned out.”
While the individual races were important, it was the strong bond between the swimmers that helped the team rise to new heights. Every swimmer contributed not just to their own performance, but to the overall team score, proving that despite being an individual sport, swimming is truly a team effort.
“Even though it’s an individual sport, everything still counts toward the team score,” Aleman explained. “If you have a teammate who’s great at backstroke and you’re great at butterfly, you work together to make sure the team gets the most points possible. It’s definitely a team sport, even if it feels [individual]. I love all of the team events we get to be in, like the Viper tattoos and the banquet.”
The team’s preparation for the State Competition began months before, with daily practices and extensive training. Many of the team swimmers are also a part of club swimming, which meant they were committed to swimming up to two hours a day, six days a week, in addition to their high school practices. The commitment through their physical training and shared passion for swimming set the team apart, both in and out of the water.
“We swim with our club teams every day except Sundays, and that’s how we prepare,” Aleman said. “For the relays, we came together before State and practiced exchanges a lot. We really focused on getting the timing down during the handoffs.”
Throughout the season, the swimmers strived to perfect their relay exchanges. In swimming, as in track, relay exchanges can make or break a team’s performance. Vandegrift’s swimmers dedicated their practices to perfecting these critical transitions, ensuring that each swimmer was able to deliver their best effort during each handoff.
“Our team really [united] during the relays,” Aleman said. “We spent a lot of time swimming with one another, ensuring that we’re in sync and can hand off smoothly, so the swimmer coming in doesn’t lose any time.”
The camaraderie and team spirit that defined the Vandegrift swim team’s season were evident through their supportive nature throughout the competition. From celebrating individual achievements to cheering on teammates during their races, the swimmers embraced the importance of working together toward a shared goal.
“It’s really fun to swim with my teammates,” Aleman said. “We’ve all been there from the very start, working our way up. Now we’re swimming on the fast relays, and we get to see all our hard work pay off. We’ve really grown together as a team, and that’s been the most rewarding part of the season.”
