Progress is the name of the game for Bulldog swim team
Liesel Klein and Avery Theis race next to each other in the 100 freestyle for a fifth/sixth finish at the Kalispell invite. (Kelsey Evans/Whitefish Pilot)
A Whitefish swimmer on the blocks at the meet in Kalispell Dec. 14. (Kelsey Evans/Whitefish Pilot)
A bulldog swimmer competes in the 100-yard freestyle at the Kalispell invite on Dec. 14. (Kelsey Evans/Whitefish Pilot)
With one meet done and six to go this season, the Whitefish swim team is already seeing swift progress after just two and half weeks in the water.
“I love seeing their progress. It’s really fun as a swimmer, but it’s also fun to watch their growth and see how much resilience and stress you can support and then taper in the season,” said Rachel Meyer, assistant coach.
In addition to athletic progress, the team grows together.
“I love to see how the team warms and bonds,” Meyer said. “Even now, we have a couple of kids back from college visiting us at practice. It’s a testament to how close this team is.”
The girls team is already looking strong, with 16 swimmers on the roster. They took fourth at the Kalispell Invite on Saturday against both Class AA and A teams from across the valley, Missoula, Havre and Great Falls.
The boys team is slim but mighty with only four swimmers on the roster, three juniors and one freshman.
Three seniors are leading the group as co-captains this year: June Calloway, Georgia Morrell and Gretel Vine.
Except for a couple of club swimmers, most of the team is only in the water for the winter season, making progress even more important.
“But some of our times this weekend were just as fast or faster than our state times last year, so we have high hopes for the season,” said Ashley McDermott, head coach.
“We have a lot of natural talent, too. We have some new swimmers who have never swum that had some incredible times, and it’s like, where did that come from?” Meyer added.
Contributing major points to the girls team finish was a fifth-place performance in the 200 medley relay and a bronze in the 200 free relay.
They had good representation in the individual 200 free, with Liesel Klien in second, Vine in fourth, and Kate Sullivan in sixth.
Gavin Sibson was also a top performer for Whitefish, taking third in the 200 IM and sixth in the 100 breaststroke.
The team will be back on the blocks this Saturday in Great Falls.
A Whitefish swimmer on the blocks at the meet in Kalispell Dec. 14. (Kelsey Evans/Whitefish Pilot)
A bulldog swimmer competes in the 100-yard freestyle at the Kalispell invite on Dec. 14. (Kelsey Evans/Whitefish Pilot)