Spectacular, astonishing, incredible. None of these words quite fit. “Amazing” is how senior swim captain Emei Thompson describes her team’s undefeated start in dual meets this season. The Orono Girls Swim and Dive team is off to one of the greatest starts in the team’s history, just recently knocking off a tough opponent, Hutchinson High School, and finishing second in the conference.
“Some of the key swimmers have been, aside from the captains, sophomore Sam Norton, junior Annika Sherek, freshman Carly Peterson, and sophomore Ana Thompson,” head swim coach Pete Buecher said. With just 29 girls on the roster–making Orono one of the smallest teams in its conference–the team has pulled off a run that senior captain Maddie Kileen considers “eye-opening.”
”I was very excited for the swim season to start,” Buecher said. “The girls did a bunch of summer swimming and came into the season in shape and were convinced [that] they could beat Hutch and make a run.” According to the Minnesota Swimming Hub, this was the first time Orono has beat Hutchinson since Hutchinson’s girls swim program joined the Wright County Conference.
Having 29 swimmers gives Orono a slight disadvantage among the larger schools. “At sections, it’s scored differently than at dual meets,” Kileen said. “Having more swimmers gives a team a chance to gain more points.”
This hasn’t been the only obstacle the girls swim and dive has had to overcome during their undefeated run. “As a team, we have had to put aside our differences and get rid of the drama between the upperclassmen and underclassmen,” Thompson said.
“You spend so many hours a week with the same girls,” senior captain Hadley Patton said. “So as the season progresses, the team starts to become a family.” The girls have practice from three to six Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays with meets on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
The sport of swimming requires tremendous focus and mental toughness. On a streak such as this, focus becomes even more crucial. “Swimming takes up a huge part of you, both mentally and physically,” Patton said. “It is impossible not to be thinking about it.”
“This just never happens,” Buecher said. “To not be injured and stay healthy and to beat Hutch and not lose a dual meet… it’s awesome.”
