BY DAKOTA SMITH (’15)

The boys’ and girls’ swim teams traveled to Canton last weekend to compete in the OHSAA Division-II State Finals, where the girls’ relay placed 4^th and the boys’, sadly, were disqualified, finishing 24^th. Several swimmers placed individually as well.

Sarah Martin made it back to finals in the 200 freestyle, placing 14^th, and the 100 butterfly, placing 11^th. Abby Stone made it back in the 200 IM, placing 2^nd, and in the 100 backstroke, winning the event.

Timmy Spichiger made it back in the 200 freestyle, placing 8^th, and the 500 freestyle, placing 9^th. Grant Stahl made it back in the 200 IM, placing 11^th, and the 100 butterfly, placing 12^th.

“It felt good. I felt like an eagle and I was watching over everyone as if I were flying around majestically,” said senior Timmy Spichiger.

“I was able to represent my school that I love so much. It really was an all-around great experience,” Spichiger added.

The boys’ medley relay was composed of seniors Grant Stahl and Timmy Spichiger and juniors Rowan Moore and Colin McDermott

“It was fun, first off, and it felt really good to be swimming in front of so many cheering fans and teammates,” said Stahl, “they were really what helped me perform.”

Many were surprised that the girls’ medley relay placed, especially since they were not as fast as they’ve been in previous years. It included seniors Maggie McGonagle, Abby Stone, Paige Griesse and freshman Sarah Martin.

“I feel like we had a good dynamic, which really helped us improve throughout the season,” said McGonagle, regarding the girls’ relay, “placing 4^th was unexpected, but I knew we had it in us. When we finished, the fans were screaming, our parents were crying, and we were excited beyond belief. That’s something I’ll never forget.”

“Placing 4^th was a great way to end Abby, Maggie, and I’s senior year, since we’ve been swimming together for almost 11 years,” said Griesse, “and it was also an awesome experience being on the podium, since we weren’t expecting to be there.”

In their first three years of swimming, at the high school level, this year’s five seniors had placed in the top 5 in the state every year, and have been swimming together for a very long time.

The boys’ and girls’ swim teams had outstanding seasons with great results at the state swim meet for the division II championship. They had great experiences and created bonds that will last forever, and are ready to head back to states again next season.