According to swimming senior co-captains Molly Lemon and Amanda Nelson–who doubles as a top finisher– the girls swimming team has started off on a fun-filled note—due to team camaraderie and a shared love for their head coach, Kevin Auger.

“I would like to say we are bonding really well,” says senior swimmer Abby Romisher. 

One change that has impacted the team this year is their practice schedule, which requires all swimmers to attend at least 80 percent of all practices. “You can’t fall below 80 percent attendance, even if you have a legitimate reason, like a doctor’s appointment or something, or you can’t swim,” shares Nelson.

In September, Evanston swam in its second meet against Loyola Academy, barely losing 111-75. There were some bright spots in the dark however, with Amanda Nelson taking home second with a 1:02.38 and with senior Sussanah Bailey and sophomore Tait Hansen taking the top two spots in the varsity one meter diving competition. 

During the season, the girls compete against a variety of schools, with meets at Barrington, Highland Park and several other competitive pools. A particularly exciting meet was at Niles North  in late September, where the girls took a solid 104-82 victory.  The win was headlined by the 200 and 400 meter freestyle Evanston relays, and Monroe Stroth’s individual first place 1:02.32 second freestyle win. 

Another great victory was their very close 95-87 win over Barrington, a school that the girls say is usually one of the top teams in the state. Nelson swam a 1:01.32 100 meter backstroke top finish and Stroth swam a 57.36 second place time during the win.

The end of the season looks to be a good one for the girls, with Romisher saying that Nelson has a shot of going to state. “She just needs to get her backstroke time down a second or two. We’ve all got a shot, but she has the best one,” says Romisher. 

Come sectionals and state, the team looks to overcome their current 2-3 meet record and ultimately finish off the season with the same positive energy that they entered it with.

“[Swimming] is a really fun high school experience that we think everyone should be a part of,” concludes Lemon.