Girls Swimming Glides to Playoffs
The girl swim team huddles after their meet against James Madison High School. Photo: William Zhang
By DAISY DENG and WILLIAM ZHANG
Coming in at exactly 4 minutes, 31.5 seconds and placing second in the 400 yard freestyle relay, the girls swim team finished the final event of their playoff meet on October 26 with a heartbreaking 71-30 loss to Hunter College High School. Despite their disappointment, the girls let out their echoing cheers louder than a stadium hosting the Super Bowl.
The season was filled with ups and downs but the girls persevered nonetheless, setting new personal records, bonding as a team, and making the playoffs.
“It was great to be back with all the girls,” Victoria Franchuk ‘24 said. There was “a lot of improvement from last year and so many new personal records.”
Senior captain Diana Reyes said, “Many girls dropped time and hit some [personal records],” but the season was “too short and went by extremely quickly.”
Many of the girls qualified for the Division A and Division B Championships throughout the season. This year, two of them won their events at B Champs.
The girls fell to Hunter College High School in the playoffs. Photo: Continental Studios
Reyes described competing in A Champs as “an amazing experience” because she was able to see so many “incredible, fast swimmers.” Reyes said it was her best event this season and she felt like all the hard work she had been putting in at practice was finally paying off. It was “a great way to end the season,” she said.
Charlotte Li ‘26 said she was surprised to make it to A Champs as a freshman and felt “really excited and really nervous at the same time.”
Setting new personal records, competing against other schools, and making the playoffs made for some thrilling moments. “After swimming countless laps, attending practice after practice, and powering through tough events, they get to enjoy success,” said Ms. Lindsey Pero, the team’s coach.
The girls spent hours together every week perfecting their strokes. Oftentimes they would still hang out after school even if they didn’t have practice, Li said, adding: “It’s hard to think about not being with the team anymore” now that the season is over.
Ms. Pero described the squad as a cohesive unit with a fierce attitude. The girls are “communicative, supportive, and dedicated to one another and the team,” she said. She described the environment at meets as “electrifying,” with races coming down to the milliseconds.
For the underclassmen, these new connections and friendships have been a great introduction to high school. Franchuk said, “We always know that if anything happens, we can reach out to one another.”
“High school was a breeze after I joined the team,” Li said.
“[The teammates] all look out for one another,” Reyes said. When there were injuries, other girls were ready to “step up to the plate.”
For the seniors, the ending of the season was bittersweet. Reyes said that she will not only miss the girls, but Ms. Pero as well. “She pushed me to be better, and I couldn’t have asked for a better coach,” she said.
“I am here to support them and help them improve,” Ms. Pero said. “I am always pushing them to be their best, both in and out of the pool.”
Franchuk said that if she could use one word to describe her coach, it would be “sunshine.”
“Swimming is a sport that requires hard work,” Ms. Pero said. “It is impossible to fake results. If you want to improve, you have to put in the work and avoid taking shortcuts. This can also apply to schoolwork and life in general. My motto is: You grow through what you go through!”