While the wind was blowing on a freezing landscape on a cold December Saturday morning, the WJ swim and dive team was at the Olney Indoor Swim Center competing against the Walt Whitman Vikings. The first swim meet of the season, the conquest was a test for the two teams who were both top 10 finishers at the metro championship last year. The girls’ team came home with their first win, 94-92, while the boys’ team was left in the waves of the Vikings.
Coming into the meet, the team was hyped up after a scrimmage victory against B-CC. However, the boys’ team saw their hopes crushed when they lost by 8 points with a final score of 97-89 in a meet where many things didn’t go their way.
“Two of our best swimmers weren’t there,” junior Dain Phillips said. “I think if we had them, we would’ve won. We also lost some relays that we should’ve won.”
The girl’s team was able to get the job done, improving to 1-0 and continuing their dominance. Many freshmen stepped up and helped contribute to the first win of their WJ swim careers.
“Everyone did very well, including the freshmen,” senior captain Isla Bartholomew said. “It’s a new environment for the freshmen, so they’re still getting used to it.”
Even with the mixed results, bright moments stuck out as the team officially kicked off their season.
“I get to be on the same team as my brother, so it’s super exciting,” Bartholomew said. “WJ swim and dive is a fun and positive environment, and the more fun we have, the better we do.”
The team faces B-CC this week in a rival matchup that has been marked on the calendar since the schedule came out. The boys’ team looks to bounce back from the loss, while the girls’ team looks to remain undefeated.
“We’re ready,” Phillips said. “One of our best swimmers, Luc [Dionne], is coming back, and we’ve been training really hard at practice.”
Although starting their season out with a loss is far from ideal, the boys’ team hopes to continue the season strong and get back to being a top finisher at Metros.
“We went undefeated last year, so it kinda sucks that we lost already, but all we can do is try to win every meet left,” Phillips said.
