Spectators filled the bleachers of the new pool on December 1 to watch the fierce competition brewing between Valparaiso and Lake Central. After much tension, Lake Central pulled out a win with a final score of 94-92.
“The meet went really well. We were not expecting to win at all. Valpo is one of our biggest competitors.They’ve been ranked ahead of us for a long time,” Gavin Baisa (11) said.
The energy produced by the team captains before the meet set a positive attitude so all swimmers could go in feeling confident in their abilities.
“Myself and the other captains all gave our speeches. We were stoked and were hyping everybody up. We were all ready to go. Then our coach, [Mr. Jeff Kilinski], came in and said how we lost Ivano [Garza (12), one of the senior swimmers on the team], so we’re probably not going to win this meet,” Brandon Walton (12) said.
The most memorable moment of the meet occured at the very end during the 400 freestyle relay. At this point, Lake Central was trailing behind, so this event was their last chance to win.
“The 400 freestyle relay was definitely [a highlight for me]. It was crazy from start to finish. [Securing the win] was up in the air for sure. I knew it was going to be close and I’m glad it turned out the way it did,” Walton said.
If the 400 freestyle relay team, consisting of Ryan Kilinski (11), Kyle Massa (12), Walton and Baisa, had not won the race, the team would have lost the meet.
“We almost counted ourselves out completely right before that 400 relay. [However,] once we got to it, and once we finished it, [we came together.] That was the only reason we won,” Baisa said.
