Girls’ Swimming Falls Short in Tight One
This past Saturday, the girls’ varsity swim team made the long trip down to Western Massachusetts to compete head-to-head against Deerfield. The team went into the meet with a lot of excitement and focus, and every swimmer gave it her all. The competition was fierce, and although every Exeter athlete put up an amazing race, the Deerfield girls clinched the win by nine points.
However, the swimmers were not deterred by their loss and still have high hopes for the rest of the season. Senior and captain Dana Yu spoke about the weekend’s events, commending the team for its enthusiasm and vitality. “The meet was really high energy, and every one of our swimmers gave it their all. Team spirit was great, and I'm very proud of the girls,” Yu said. “Deerfield is always really fierce competition. We've beaten them before, but we've also lost to them before. During the meet, the score is always really close.”
Lower Emily LaRovere echoed Yu’s sentiment. “We had expected it be a tough meet and it was, but we didn't let that stop us from still trying our best,” LaRovere said. “Our energy was crazy. We started off with a really long bus ride, but as soon as we stepped on deck everyone started getting hyped.”
Yu and several other team members had a particularly impressive meet with some outstanding performances in the pool. “I won the breast and the butterfly events, which was exciting,” Yu said.
"The meet was really high energy, and every one of our swimmers gave it their all. Team spirit was great."
Upper Stajz Saar also had a great race, coming in first place in the grueling 500 freestyle. Post-graduate Emma Leyne swam well in her race, and her points contributed to the team’s victory.
“Emma swam very well at Deerfield. She actually went a personal best in her 50 free and the sprint lane. Caroline Del Real, Abby Ambrogi and I were all really proud, along with the rest of the team,” LaRovere said. “Dana Yu, one of the captains, also did really well. She was able to out touch a Deerfield girl in the 100 Breaststroke and won that event.”
The team also had some great performances in the relay events. “The relays went especially well at the meet actually,” LaRovere added. “We were able to win the 200 free relay and tie the 400 free relay. The girls in the 200 free relay—Emma, Caroline, Stajz and I—really tried our best and kicked.”
The girls have had a strong season so far with some great wins under their belt. At this mid-season juncture, training is tough and strenuous, but it pays off.