On October 27, the women’s swim team redeemed themselves against Southwest and defeated them to win the city conference. South originally held the city title for twenty-three straight years before losing to Southwest for the past two years. Now, they have reclaimed the title.

“[It] kind of came out of nowhere,” said sophomore swimmer Ellen Gorsky. Not only did the team win the conference title, but junior Lucy Hennen also broke the school’s diving record by fifty points.

The final score of the meet had South in the lead by fifteen points. With a switch in the original relay order and some motivational words, the coaches sent their girls off to swim as well as they could.

“[We] told them really seriously to swim well from a technical point of view,” said South teacher and swim coach Neil Anderson. To get ready for the meet, the team focused on “the red zone,” or their technical areas, starts and turns.

Another important factor was that head coach Jeff Sanders and coach Anderson tried not to put too much pressure on the girls. The coaches knew that the first time they faced Southwest, too much weight was put on the girls’ shoulders, causing their defeat. “We knew that it would be close,” Anderson commented.

The girls will now continue to regionals. Although they will be participating in one of the top two regions, Anderson has hopes that the team will send one or two divers and/or swimmers to state. “I’m very happy for the girls and the team,” said Anderson.