On Saturday, Feb. 20, the boys varsity swim team traveled to Crown Point High School to compete against 15 other schools in hopes of coming back with a Sectional title. They ended up getting 3rd place behind Munster and Crown Point.
“It was a little disappointing because we went in with such high expectations. We knew it was going to be a close meet, but I’m still satisfied with how we did because we had a lot of great swims,” Kyle Massa (12) said.
Even though they did not do as well as they hoped, they were still happy with their effort.
“We knew we weren’t going to win. We did have a shot but it kind of got messed up. As long as everyone did their best it doesn’t matter what place we get,” Kilinski said.
Many underclassmen took the spotlight at this meet. Rylie Ingram (9) got 3rd place in the 100-meter backstroke.
“I wasn’t expecting to get in the top eight. It was a miracle. I felt like I was king of the world,” Ingram said.
With their third place ranking came highs, lows and intense moments. One of the tightest competitions occurred between Ingram and Ryan Kilinski (11) in the 100-meter backstroke.
“[Watching] Ryan and Rylie in the 100-backstroke was really exciting. They’ve been competing all season and it was exciting to see them make a comeback [for the team],” Brandon Walton (12) said.
One of the highest moments came when Alexander Morgan (12) won the diving Sectional title.
“I kind of had an idea already [that I was going to win], but I wasn’t completely sure. It was a huge breath of fresh air and it felt really great [when I won],” Morgan said.
The team’s teamwork and communication has been evident all season, but it was most prevalent at Sectionals.
“Our teamwork really comes into play, especially during practice. In the meets, you can cheer people on, but sometimes it is hard to hear the encouragement of your teammates. It really comes into play when taking those breaks at the wall at practice and hearing encouragement from the guys around you,” Massa said.
Even though the waves of the season are dying down, the boys still have State to look forward on Feb. 27.
“I’m hopeful [for my teammates swimming at State]. Although we aren’t seated very highly, we knew going into Sectionals that we had a lot of potential. At Sectionals we didn’t quite live up to that, but if we can make the pieces come together then who knows what is going to happen?” Massa said.
