Breaking seven school records and qualifying one swimmer to state, Girls Swimming and Diving had an excellent showing at the St. Ignatius IHSA Sectional meet, Nov. 16. The Maroons placed 4th out of 13 teams in the section, and junior Jayne Crouthamel qualified for State in the Athletes with Disabilities 50 and 100 Yard Freestyle events.

Swimmers broke school records in a historic end to the season in seven different varsity events, including senior Kaley Qin in the 100 Freestyle and the 100 Breaststroke, junior Lea Rebollo Baum in the 500 Freestyle; senior Ava McKula in the 100 Backstroke; junior Susan Huang, seniors Ava McKula, Kaley Qin and Jessica Huang in the 200 Medley Relay; sophomore Zoe Morton, seniors Ava McKula, Jessica Huang and Kaley Qin in the 200 Freestyle Relay; and freshman Jessica Slear in the 11 Dive. Diving Coach Dar was also voted as Sectional Coach of the Year.  

Despite the records broken, according to senior Ava McKula, many swimmers felt disappointed with their performance.

“I’d say it was a bitter-sweet experience for us generally. Some tougher moments being a few of us just missing state cuts by a few tenths of a second or not quite hitting a goal time,” said Ava, who broke records in one individual event, as well as three relays.

According to Lea Rebollo Baum, the training leading up to Sectionals warranted better results.

“I think it didn’t go exactly how we expected. We trained hard and hoped for more state qualifying swims. So to not see that reflected in the pool was very hard for the team,” Lea said.

According to Ava, the team dynamic is family-like.

“I’m extremely sad to leave the team because it has acted as such a safe place over the past four years,” Ava said. “I’ve always viewed the swim team as my family just because the bonds we have formed are so strong, and I’ve made some of my best friends through the sport.”