The Swim and Dive team showcased their competitive spirit at the Round Rock Invite Meet on Saturday, Oct. 26, at the RRISD Aquatic Center. The Warriors faced tough competition from various schools including Round Rock, McNeil, Georgetown, and Leander.  Ultimately, the Warriors secured second place overall with a combined score of 243 points between both teams. 

It was a long meet for the warriors as each swimmer participated in multiple events. From individual races to relays, they demonstrated their endurance in the pool. Despite facing strong competition from Round Rock, the Warriors kept their competitive edge and team spirit throughout the meet, cheering each other on each event. 

“I started the day a little tired but I eventually got into it,” Phoenix Mielcarek ‘25 said. “I just swam my most fun event which was the 200 [yard] freestyle relay, we won that so I feel super proud.” 

Despite having several team members absent, the Warriors were forced to demonstrate resilience and determination throughout the meet. At the end of the day, the girls claimed second place with 143 points, while the boys’ team secured third place with 100 points. These podium placements, despite their missing players, were due to their strong performances across high-scoring events like the Freestyle Relays and Medley Relays. 

“We all went pretty fast today even though we don’t have half our team here,” Siddharth Sripada ‘26 said. “We placed high and I feel like everybody gave it their all today. I dropped my time in two of my events so I’m very proud of that.” 

Head Coach Matthew McBrearty and Assistant Coach Garrett Mott emphasized the importance of building a competitive mindset over raw speed at this stage of the season. By encouraging swimmers to challenge themselves against their increasingly fast opponents they strived to emphasize this goal. This strategy proved extremely effective as many Warriors exceeded expectations in many of their events. 

“Today we’re all about just getting up and racing,” Coach Mott said. “We’re always telling the kids ‘beat somebody that you’re not supposed to beat.’ High school swimming [is] all about places, not about times. So the more we can beat people we’re not supposed to beat, the better our team’s going to be.

This meet especially highlighted the Warriors’ growth as a team, as the team captains noted significant improvement in both individual performances and team dynamics compared to the start of the season. 

“I think as the season progresses, we’ve come together as a team as we have got to know each other more and push each other to new boundaries,” Violet Hewett ‘25 said. “I think that as a team we’ve grown so much, individually and collectively. I’m just really loving being a captain this year.” 

Looking ahead, the Warriors plan on continuing to build speed as they prepare for their upcoming competitions. Since Round Rock took first at the meet with 310 combined points, the Warriors know they’ll need to maintain their dedication to close the gap in future meets.

The Warriors will compete next in the Aggieland Swim Meet on Saturday, Nov. 9, at the Texas A&M Natatorium where they aim to dive back into first at the top of the podium.