Swim and dive concluded their season with an intense meet against Mt. Carmel, winning 117-67 for boys and losing 96-87 for girls. Captain and freestyle swimmer Julia Souza (12) swam in several events: the 200 freestyle, the 500 freestyle, the 4×100 relay, and the 200 medley relay. 

For the relay, Souza teamed with backstroker Claire O’Mara (9) while Alexis Masbad (10) swam breaststroke and Chloe Chen (11) raced the butterfly leg. While swimming the anchor leg,  Souza raced from behind to secure the win in the race by a narrow 0.3 seconds.  

Souza said that the team felt hopeful to succeed in the 200 medley relay after losing it last Senior Night against Mt. Carmel.

“Our main event of focus for the girls this year was the 200 medley relay,” Souza said. “We lost the event last year, and this year we got a new backstroker, so we knew that we would have a better chance of beating them this time.”

Because of it being Senior Night and a rival meet, Souza said that teammates and parents all showed up to support the swimmers in the high-stakes game.

“I remember finishing and hearing everybody cheering super loud,” Souza said. “Just the team supporting each other and having the parents there supporting everyone was really good.”

Despite high energy and early wins, the girls fell behind because they were unable to field any divers, meaning they had to forfeit all diving rounds and the 13 team points that went along with them. 

Souza said that while Westview gained an initial lead in the 200 medley with O’Mara getting a time of 52.67 seconds, they ended up losing a later event, the 4×100 relay. 

“At the end, the same people swim again from the first relay in the 4×100 freestyle,” Souza said. “We ended up losing, but it was close. O’Mara had a really good last leg. We were half a pool behind and she caught up to be only one second behind.”  

Souza said that as the scores contribute to an overall win, it motivates her to perform well for her team.

“In high school, swimming becomes more of a team sport,” Souza said. “Technically, swimming is an individual sport. You score points for the team, but I think a big difference is the fact that, at the same time, we’re working for each other. That gives us some extra motivation.  There [was] a lot of cheering going on; it was really intense. Having that extra motivation from people on the outside, and having your teammates next to you is essential for us to do well.”

Cabaniss said that a highlight of the season was seeing more involvement from teammates.

“This season was really fun to see how many people came back to swim, and how many people also joined our club swim team that also swims for Westview,” Cabaniss said. “I thought that was really fun. I’d say we did really well in all of our events, and I think everyone was very well prepared for each of their races.”

After being part of the program for all four years of high school, Souza got to experience Senior Night festivities. 

“It was definitely a feeling of like, ‘Wow, not that long ago that I was a freshman and I was helping out with the Senior Night for the seniors,’” Souza said. “Realizing how important it is to focus on the moment and have fun is the main thing that I took from it.”

In addition to traditional Senior Night festivities, Cabaniss said that the boys team has another annual tradition: a speedo run.

“After the meet, we always go and do a speedo run lap around the track,” Cabaniss said. “It was during a girls lacrosse game, so it was pretty fun. That’s normally one of our traditions that we keep doing. We try to do it during a game, when there’s actually people down there, versus practices. It includes everyone [on the team], and it’s always on our last meet.”

Even though the team sometimes participates in silly and unserious traditions, Cabaniss said that he has reflected a lot during his time in the program. He said that through swimming, he’s learned that what matters most is how you feel about yourself.

“I try to tell other people to not worry about how you do compared to others, because it’s an individual sport in itself: your time versus your time,” Cabaniss said. “As long as you’re getting better, that’s what matters. It doesn’t matter if you get last in a race if you still get your [personal best]. [That] keeps people feeling better about themselves too, so they don’t go into a race upset.”

Souza said she has reflected over her last season, recognizing the importance of making connections and finding happiness in her sport.

“This was the season that I learned the most,” Souza said. “I learned to enjoy the moment because [of] how soon it was going to be over. I was trying to focus on having fun [and] talking to my friends, but at the same time, racing, being there for my team, and supporting other people.”