The Swim & Dive team had an excellent performance in the state championship meet last year, with the boys team finishing in the top five and the girls team finishing 11th, both out of 39 total teams. This season, however, is a fresh start as a new head coach enters the fray. Coach Jenna Cay is entering her first year coaching the Swim & Dive team. She is looking to build on last year’s success and bring a state championship to Meridian.
The boys team accounted for both of the medals Meridian scored at states last year, with one gold medal in the One-Meter Dive by then-junior Alex Way, and one bronze medal for 100 Yard Backstroke by former senior Matthew Janicki. The girls did not win any medals, but still placed highly.
“The boys team is going to have really strong relays and extremely strong divers this year,” junior Ty Schmittel said.
The boys will look to maximize their results from relay and dive events in order to also maximize their overall event performances. The girls team has similar strengths to the boys team. “The relay team is really strong,” junior Mykl Skelton said.
Lots of swimmers on the team are very excited about the new coach. “[Coach Cay] has lots of experience because she coached at York, and she’s much calmer,” Skelton said.
While the Mustangs have a very good lineup for Swim & Dive this year, they also have some stiff competition. Western Albemarle dominated states last year, scoring more than double the amount of points second place winners Lafayette was able to. Even though Meridian looks to be one of the strongest teams, it will be very difficult to beat Western Albemarle if the school continues its run of form.
Regardless, the team has a lot of potential, and now, they have the coaching and talent to convert this potential into results.
