18 SPORTS
Junior Aliya Dejesus sets up in the blocks before a race during a meet held at Merrillville. PHOTO BY GILLAN GATLEY
Girls swimming sets goal of winning sectionals BY KEELEY BERNARD co-sports editor The girls swim season began with most of the girls being quarantined due to contract tracing. In order to prevent the possibility of another quarantine, coach Blake Yeager and the team have created some safety procedures. “Swimmers have masks on until they enter the water and wear masks while lifting and in the locker room as well,” Yeager said. “Many of the swimmers are club swimmers who train with me during the fall, so they were able to have an understanding on how everything would work before the official season started which helped.” Although these procedures may lower the chances of the season being halted due to a quarantine situation, senior Alyssa Hoover is still concerned about the safety of the season.
“I’m not going to lie, I would be heartbroken if our season got cut short due to COVID,” Hoover said. “It’s my senior season, and I would love for some part of it to be normal.” Even with the uncertainty of the season, Hoover states that her overall goals for her senior year have remained unchanged. “The biggest goal I have for this team is to win Sectionals. We had such a good chance last year, but it slipped through our fingers. This is our redemption year,” Hoover said. Hoover’s goal of winning Sectionals is also one of Yeager’s goals. “The goals for the season are to finish second in the DAC and to win Sectionals,” Yeager said. In order to achieve these goals, the team will need to find strong leaders, and according to
Yeager, that characteristic can be found in the senior class. “Our seniors this year come with great leadership,” Yeager said. “Aly Hoover is a two time captain for the team now and someone we really rely on to help. Emma Smith is vocal and one that is always helpful in tough times.” While Yeager highlights the leadership of the seniors, Hoover believes that being a leader is something that she had to learn how to do. “I think I have improved on my ability to be a leader. I am not a very outspoken person, but I am constantly learning about how to use my voice to help motivate the team,” Hoover said. According to Hoover, the motivation and support that the team gives each other is the strongest part of the team. “The strongest part of the team is the support we con-
stantly give to each other,” Hoover said. “We have done a really good job of being there for each other and staying positive.” Junior Emma Bahr also highlights the support the team gives each other. “The strongest part of the team is how much we support each other and how hard we cheer during the meets,” Bahr said. Such a positive environment only helps motivation, according to sophomore Maggie Cicero. “I feel motivated to come to practice and work hard, just like my teammates,” Cicero said. “The strongest part of the team is how we all push each other at practice, at meets, and just all the time we swim in general.” The team will next compete against Portage at home on Jan. 7 at 5:30 p.m.
