The Middle School swim team had three meets this year, with an additional meet that was canceled. Their record was 3-0 for the girls and 0-3 for the boys since there was only one boy on the team. The team swam against teams that were larger in numbers and who had their own pools, which means they had more practice time. “We are such an interesting mix, all the teams we swam had bigger teams, they have their own pools, they practice more, we are unique in our league,” Head Coach Clayton Miles said.
The team had 19 swimmers including eighth-graders Sarah Cioffi and Maggie Dwyer, who both also swim for the varsity swim team. The middle school swim team was made up of 18 girls and one boy, seventh-grader Charlie Simons. Unlike the other teams they swam against, the team was outnumbered and lost practice time every day because they had to travel to the University of Saint Joseph to practice in their pool. Assistant Coach Erika Costantini thought the first meet was the best. “I really loved the first meet because I got to see the mix of leadership from really experienced swimmer and them helping swimmers who had never competed before,” she said. Coach Costantini also admired the courage that the new swimmers displayed during the meets.
Sixth-grader experienced swimmer Meghan Jo enjoyed being a new member of the team. “I liked cheering for other people at the end of the lanes,” Jo said. The Middle School swim team was the most spirited team in each of their meets. Swimmers cheered for their teammates at the end of the pool. Whether it was the 100-meter individual medley or the 50-meter freestyle, everyone on the team encouraged each other to swim for a new best time. An already small team will shrink even more with seven eighth-graders leaving for high school next year. The two coaches hope to be able to practice more and to have several new members of both genders join the team next year.
