On Saturday Nov. 11 2017, the Lady Dukes Swim and Dive Team competed in the 2017 IHSA Sectional Swim and Dive Meet. The sectional team is made up of swimmers and divers that are selected by head swim coach Jeff Skalon, assistant swim coaches Taylor Frank and Elizabeth Kornacker and head diving coach Larry Barcheski.

For some girls this was their first year being apart of the sectional team. While any competition can make the girls nervous, the sectional meet tends to add additional jitters to everybody.

“The meet was intense for sure, but we still had so much fun,” said senior, swimmer Jessica Reed.

This year the girls were hoping to build off the win from last year and use that as motivation for this meet. They have spent the last two weeks working hard in the pool and getting ready to compete.

“We did a lot of sprinting in practice which can be very hard on us, but we made it enjoyable by doing it together,” said sophomore swimmer Amanda Polach.

Since the championship season is extended for additional weeks, the girls can becomes very tired and worn down with all the practices. However the bond of the swim team can makes any practice manageable. Encouraging and supporting one another really makes this team family.

“The hard work throughout season really did pay off, but the thing that really helped me achieve my goals was having such great teammates. They were always there to help me in the difficult times and make practice full of laughter,” said junior diver, Brigitte Kammerdiener

A great way to the end any season is with personal best times and scores, and that is what the Lady Dukes did. Going into this meet the girls gave everything they had and their times and scores showed that.

“I am really proud of everybody,” said senior Kat Siavelis. “I think we all had some great swims and dives today.”

At the beginning of the season, they hope to achieve overtime. They try to push themselves to be the best they can be even if that means taking risk in the pool.

“This past year I’ve been taking more risks, which comes with a lot more mental blocks and smacks,” said Isabel Monarrez. “But I’ve learned many new, and harder dives that I never thought I’d get, I’d say the hard work these past 3 years did pay off.”

Both divers senior Isabel Monarrez and junior Brigitte Kammerdiener placed. Monarez took fourth and Kammerdiener took first, and the sectional champion in the diving competition.

“Sectionals went great!  During the sectional meet, I was nervous for some of the bigger dives but had a great coach telling me; just one dive at a time,” said Kammerdiener.

While the team didn’t place as high as the hoped, they still had fun competing and being together in the pool and on deck. With the support of the coaches, the girls were able compete at the best of their ability.

“We’d like to thank our coaches for helping us get ready for this meet, without them being there to support us we defiantly wouldn’t have been able to do it,” said the Lady Dukes.