The swim and dive team ended Senior Night against rival Mt. Carmel with a splash, April 24. The boys team won 115-68 while the girls team lost 92-91. 

According to swimmer Ben Tran (12), the boys team was less pressured because they expected an easy win against the Sundevils. 

“The swim meet went very well, especially in terms of our points,” Tran said. “We knew who the main competitors were at the beginning of the season, so we didn’t really have to worry about going against Mt. Carmel.” 

Girls swim captain Sora Page (12) said the team’s close loss against Mt. Carmel was expected, but they still had a good last meet honoring the seniors.

“They’ve been the D-II champs for the last couple of years, so we knew we definitely had a disadvantage,” Page said. “We lost by one point, so it was a really close meet, but I think the vibes on Senior Night meets are always going to be good regardless of the score. Even though we had a close meet, the energy was there and we were really hyped up.”

Girls dive captain Lily Miller (12) earned a PR with an overall score of 147.65. She said that regardless of the team’s loss, she was satisfied with her performance. 

“It was a good meet and everything went pretty well,” Miller said. “Hitting my PR on senior night made it even more special.” 

To honor the seniors, a small ceremony was held in the middle of the swim meet. 

“It was short and sweet and everyone had a little excerpt of how long they’ve been swimming, who they’d like to thank, favorite memories, advice they would give, and plans for the future,” Page said. “I really liked it. It was able to showcase all the seniors and give them the recognition they deserve.”

Page said she participated in the Senior Night tradition of racing the 500 butterfly, an event renowned for its difficulty. 

“It’s the longest event in high school swim and in my opinion the hardest stroke,” Page said. “I did the first 250m freestyle and the second 250m butterfly because I blew out my shoulder in August and can’t do the whole swim. [Regardless], I still tried my best and participated in the tradition.” 

According to Tran, a Senior Night tradition for the boys team is to run a lap around the track in their speedos. 

“It was pretty exciting and fun to do especially after knowing that we won our last meet before leagues, plus we went through the season without losing,” Tran said. “The lap around the track with all the boys felt rewarding and a conclusion to this part of the season.”

Miller said her favorite part of meets is cheering for her teammates and even the opponents. 

“Everyone cheers for their own teammates and also the other team,” Miller said. “If someone flops or has a bad dive, everyone cheers even louder. By the end of my four years, I knew a decent amount of the divers even from other teams. Leaving is kind of bittersweet because we’ve built a pretty close team. It will be hard to step away from that.”

Page said once she graduates, she’s going to miss the people most, especially the close friends she’s made.

“I’ll miss a lot of the people and the community swim brought to me, especially the social aspect, like the events that bring everybody together,” Page said. “I’ll definitely miss doing a relay with certain people and cheering on my friends at finals and meets. It is literally the best feeling in the world when your whole team is screaming at you to do well.”

Page said that as a senior, her goal this year was to have fun with her friends. 

“Along with having fun, I really tried to relish in my senior year,” Page said. “I think senior year is such an original experience and very different. I really just try to make the most of it.”

According to Miller, diving has taught her to trust herself more. 

“Dive is a very mental sport so you have to trust you can do something even though you’re scared to,” Miller said. “I’ve learned to trust myself and keep moving on, the dives are never as scary as I think they are once I actually do them.”  

Page said throughout her high school career, she has learned to appreciate and enjoy every moment with her team.

“I remember my freshman year, I couldn’t even imagine myself being a senior, and now, I’m suddenly walking down the senior ceremony,” Page said. “Take advantage of the happy moments that you have because it goes by really fast.”