12 | NOVEMBER 2021
SPORTS
Hawkeye
The women’s swimming team prepares for a meet earlier this season at the Lynnwood Recreation Center. The Hawks sent 17 swimmers to state this year. SOVANROM SOT | HAWKEYE
HAWKS SEND A FLOCK TO STATE By Terina Papatu HAWKEYE STAFF
Following outstanding performances at the qualifying meets, the Hawks women’s swim team sent 17 athletes to the state meet Nov. 12-13 at the King County Aquatic Center. Freshman Madeline Van Hooser was the only swimmer to place, finishing 16th in the 200 meter individual medley. But given that the team graduates just three seniors and features seven freshmen, the Hawks look to be a force for years to come. From the beginning of the school year until Oct. 23, the women’s swim team has been practicing every school day at the Lynnwood Recreation STATE COMPETITORS Center. The week just after Fiorella Diaz, 9 the district meet was jamAlison Dumo, 10 packed for the freshman, Aishwarya Duraisamy, 9 junior, and senior classes due Anwen Fillmore, 12 to SBA testing. Luckily, the Quincy Fillmore, 10 girls on the swim team had a Ishika Goundar, 9 great beginning before they Angelina Ho, 12 had to start testing. That Audrey Klingsheim, 9 Saturday, the girl’s swim Reese Krieger, 10 team faced Meadowdale, Katie Lombard, 9 Lynnwood, and EdmondsJosie MacGowan, 12 Woodway high schools, and Mika Raring, 10 Terrace’s swim team came Kaylyn Takeya, 11 back from the meet as the Mifa Tran, 9 Edmonds School District Madeline Van Hooser, 9 swim champions. Molly Veleber, 10 Senior Josie MacGowan Jeslyn Vuong, 9 said that Terrace ¨kind of walked in with a bit of a target on our backs¨ since they were the favorite to win. Coach Rebecca Lance also said that, “I knew going into the
“My first time qualifying for districts, our coach was timing me and when I finished she said, ‘Guess who’s going to district!’ and I remember being excited while still being in the pool.” Josie MacGowan SENIOR SWIMMER
meet that we had a chance to win,” but whether they’d win would depend mainly on the girls that the other teams had lined up for the relay. Most of the juniors and seniors on the team have been swimming for MTHS since their freshman year. One of these girls is another senior, Angelina Ho, stated that the top two places for districts have always been Terrace and Meadowdale High School. So they knew they would at least place, but the tension between schools was still very high. According to the girls, the district win was a close call between Terrace and Meadowdale once again this year. MacGowan and Lance both remembered that the swim team was pretty far ahead, Lance saying “The last 100 [meters] of that relay is always the most nerve racking, but we had enough of a lead that the girls held on to.” From her freshman year to now, Ho says that “when you see the same people five days a week for three months straight, you build a bond.” The kind of experience the girls had when they realized they won was initial excitement, but it also felt unreal. MacGowan explained that her feelings after they won were “Oh shoot, this is our last year” and that “It didn’t feel quite real at first.” It was a rush of emotions flooding every girl, all of them jumping and screaming after the win. Other than just the team, their coach, Rebecca Lance, was equally as excited for the girls. Qualifying for districts is a big thing that only some girls on the team can experience. It takes the girls two hours a day
for almost 90 days to prepare, maybe longer before, depending on if the person swims before the season starts as well. MacGowan also mentioned that people don’t take swimming as a sport seriously. Although people consider it just “flailing their limbs around and eventually getting somewhere,” Ho said it also includes having a set breathing pattern, deciding when is the right time to kick off the wall to turn back, and such things like that. But, swimming is a good sport to keep in shape, Ho added. Luckily, the two seniors had been surrounded by a positive environment since their first time walking into practice. Ho says that since her freshman year, all the girls on the team have gotten along with each other super well. Even throughout last school year, when only four girls were allowed in the lanes and swimmers had to wear their masks the second they got out of the pool, all the girls pushed through and had a great five-week season. Both seniors say that they’ll miss their teammates and just the experience they have had throughout the past three and four years of swimming. “I’ll miss the environment, the community, and just the experience you get from high school swim,” Ho said. MacGowan said, “I’m gonna miss all the people I met and the connection we made.” The seniors on the swim team have all been swimming for Terrace since their freshman or sophomore year, which makes the win even more special for them. While not planning to swim for a team after they graduate from Terrace, both girls said they’ll miss everything about it. Ho said, “It was nice to know we won the district meet our senior year.” She said it showed that the work and the approximately 600 hours she had put into swimming was worth it for more than just fun and exercise. H
