After a great season, the Loretto Academy’s swim team was on their way to State and arrived in San Antonio on the 9th of February prepared and ready to compete. 

In past years, the swim team attended Regionals first in order to qualify for State but due to the difficulty of large events taking place this year, Regionals and State were held at the same time; the meet took the times and scored it for both Regionals and State.  

The girls won 3rd place overall and made the Loretto Community very proud. 

It has been approximately 10 years since the Loretto swim team has come in the top three at state. 

Last year, the team had come in the top three in relays and individual events which helped score a lot of points.

Unfortunately this year there were no relays or individual events which made the medal stand, which made coming in the top three teams more difficult.

Assistant coach, Sara Morales said, “I think that the outcome at state was definitely the positive outcome we were hoping for. I’m extremely proud of everything they accomplished this season and I’m excited for the next.”

Despite everything that has happened this past year and season, the girls were always so determined and driven to get better each practice. 

Morales said, “The effort this season from all the girls was beyond incredible, they didn’t have that meet bonding time since there were no meets but they bonded by showing up every morning and trying to do stuff like secret Santa to keep some traditions going.”

The third-place finish was a huge team effort, given the fact, there were no participants placed in the top three individually.

“It was a unique experience that I will never forget. Spending time with my teammates was very fun. I learned to overcome obstacles and work hard to reach my goals. We formed very strong bonds and supported each other to work hard. I am glad I got to finish my last year with amazing friends and a new accomplishment!” said senior Paulina Quiroz. 

Tenley Reha and Celeste Hirschi were the top scorers with a 4th and 5th place finish in their respective races.

Every single person impacted the score and it wouldn’t have been possible without every team member.

We couldn’t be happier for these girls, as they worked extremely hard and made Loretto proud.