As the end of the regular season approaches, all of the winter sports teams are preparing for districts. The swim and dive team has swam in five meets. The meets have been decent and the team has been adapting to give it their all for the districts meets.
The team is preparing and conditioning for districts, hoping to win and do their best.
“Our team has been adapting pretty well, and we are trying to improve our sprinting,” junior Abby Reynolds said.
With the team practicing daily, they have improved significantly from the beginning of the season. Their progress was evident. The girls have gotten two wins under their belts, and according to Reynolds, it’s because of all the practice.
“We work pretty hard at practice, and the two wins that the girls won over this past weekend really got us pumped up,” Reynolds said.
The extra momentum from the last two wins will carry over into the post season to the three district meets at Lee District Park.
Coach Carmen Lucas believes all the practice they do made a difference in the long run.
“We are gearing toward wrapping up our season with our Senior Night on Fri. Jan. 19 against T.C. Williams followed by Districts the next weekend. Our swimmers have been focusing on explosive swimming by beating our competitors in the flip-turns and racing to the finish, which has made a tremendous difference this season,” Lucas said.
The coaches implemented a drag system where the swimmer wears heavier layers of clothing to force them to put extra effort and it has paid off.
“When they swim in a meet, they exert the same energy, and with the drag removed, break out swimming much faster. Our team has been working exceptionally hard this season,” Lucas said.
With the changing of the districts, Reynolds and her teammates believe their chances are high for winning districts.
“Yes, [the team will succeed] because we have come really close to winning some of our meets, plus the girls team won twice, so I think we have a pretty good chance,” Reynolds said.
“The division change has absolutely given us an advantage this year. We are swimming teams with similar sizes to ours. Our girls have already begun to claim their place in our district with only one loss to West Potomac and two wins against Hayfield and Mt Vernon,” Lucas said.
The team will have their districts on Jan. 26 at Lee District Park.