The end of the 2018 girls swim and dive season is approaching with the last meet, the MHSAA State Finals, being held on Saturday, Nov. 17th.

The girls have not only improved their times in various events, but have also strengthened their relationships with one another.

Sophomore Riley Coesens stated that “This season I dropped a total of six seconds in my 100-meter butterfly. That doesn’t sound like a lot, but considering it is a short distance sprint event, dropping time can prove to be difficult!”

Another sophomore, Annalyse Brogan, achieved a 28.76 second run in the 50 (meter) freestyle, which is difficult to accomplish.

The whole team works tirelessly to attain these improvements. Not only do they have frequent 5am practices, but they also participate in “peak week.” For an entire week, they have practices both in the morning and after school. The last practice of the week is on Saturday, and is largely recognized as the most challenging day. They spend roughly thirty two hours at practice during the week, twenty seven of which are spent in the water!

Although it is incredibly hard work, the girls don’t view it as a burden. Coesens has said, “My favorite part of peak week is seeing everyone working to improve themselves while also trying to stay awake! We all get very tired and overwhelmed, but some of my favorite memories are from this week because of how funny everyone is when they’re tired!”

The girls willingness to work hard through rigorous conditions and enjoy it all the while is admirable. This determination also shines through in their friendships.

Despite exhaustion from early-morning wake up calls, the girls manage to cheer on each other with zeal.

This was clearly evident during senior night.

During that meet, the whole team cheered as loud as possible to show those graduating how much their commitment to the team meant. Brogan went as far as to say, “The best meet was probably senior night because it was a really good opportunity to show the seniors how much they all mean to us.” Cassidy Pakkala, another sophomore on the team said, “Our best meet we had so far was our senior night against Holly. Everyone has really good swims and we all dropped time. We also had a lot of fun with the seniors at their last meet”.

The heart of the swim team is in these relationships. No matter what grade, all of the girls’ combined experiences and passions have led to them becoming close friends. “My favorite part of the swim team is becoming best friends with all of the girls,” said Brogen. Coesens shared a similar sentiment, “My favorite part of being on the swim team is the friendships that you make with people while you’re all suffering together. Ultimately, we all love swim, but between some of the challenging sets and interesting experiences we have, we have a lot of fun together.”

Pakkala stated, much to the same joyous tune. “My favorite part of being on the swim team is all the girls on the team,” she said. “I also love getting ready for school after morning practice when we blast music and goof around with each other.”

So, it is clear to see that the swim team is not only excellent in their own right, but excellent as a part of Milford. The team revolves around a balance of fun and hard work, like the school itself. These girls are great representatives of Milford, and are Mavericks, adorned in tried and true red.