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Pushing water back, Marvin Qian ’29 competes in the 100 backstroke event. Encouraged by his teammates, Qian strived to do his best for him and the rest of the team.
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Taking a breath, Paxton Lawrence ’29 replenishes in air before giving it all for the last 50 of the 500 freestyle. The longest race of the meet, the 500 freestyle requires breathing and speed technique.
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Making a splash, Sarah Padurean ’29 freestyles to the wall during the 400 freestyle relay. Part of the 4 by 4, Padurean showed endurance and speed in one of the most enjoyed events of the meet.
Fueled by the crowd and an eagerness built up to win since September, Swim & Dive dove into the non-qualifying event head first on Friday, Jan. 23. Facing tough competition and cold weather, Westwood put up a fight for the record books.
Even with a couple setbacks, the team earned first place overall with an accumulated placing of second for girls and fourth for boys. Battling against multiple teams, including all of the 6A swimming teams of the district, Westwood took on a challenge to conquer the win.
“The competition was definitely rougher due to us competing against everyone in the district rather than segments of people from different schools,” Molly Coates ‘29 said. “It was more tough again just due to more competition present at the meet.”
Leaving the pool with sore throats and memories to last forever, the sideline support of the Warriors did not compare to any other teams. Before the start of the meet the team divided in pairs and jogged around the pool while yelling out chants. The decade-long tradition showed the public just how loud Westwood would be for the rest of the day.
“Our team was really loud compared to other swim meets and when any Westwood swimmer was on the block, there was always cheering and watching,” Esha Ramanathan ‘27 said. “It makes a huge difference when people cheer for you and I think we swam faster than usual because of it.”
Divers Jazzlyn Vaughan ‘26, Leilani Adair ‘28, Ella Jo Harrison ‘29 represented Westwood earlier in the week. Mid-meet, Coach Matthew McBrearty received an award for “Best Female Coach” and “Best Male Coach”. To others, the highlight of the 2026 districts was cheering on the girls 200 medley relay. The 200 medley relay consisted of four swimmers completing a 50 of backstroke, breastroke, butterfly, or freestyle, following the start of this event, the Warriors soured ahead, winning by a landslide.
“My favorite event is the 200 medley relay because it is so quick and fun and always has lots of plot twists,” Daria Freehill ‘28 said. “In events like these at this meet everyone was truly supporting everyone and it’s the most ‘as a team’ I feel like we’ve been this whole year.”
About half of the team qualified for the next round of competition, regionals, that will be held from Thursday Feb. 5, to Saturday, Feb. 7, at the Josh Davis Pool at the Blossom Athletic Center located in San Antonio, TX.
