The swim team competed in the Huntsville High Invitational showcasing their improvement and showing their potential to be a force to be reckoned with. Three returning veterans and a swimmer new to the team already qualified for state sectionals.
In her team debut, seventh grader Bella Minnon scored nine points for the women’s team and qualified for state sectionals in the 50 freestyle with a time of 29.11 and the 100 butterfly with a time of 1:08.63. Joining Minnon in the 50 freestyle at state sectionals will be eighth grader Lynden West who also qualified with a time of 30.39. The women’s relay team of Mikayla Finucane, Lynden West, Jordan Breton and Minnon scored 18 points with their ninth place finish in the 400 Yard Freestyle Relay with a time of 4:50.20 and the medley relay team of Aguilar, Finucane, Lee and Kaitlyn Finucane scored 10 points and finished 12th in 2:12.66. The women’s team scored 75 points and finished in 8th place.
Even though there were only four of them, the men’s team gave a great performance considering their huge disadvantage, being low on swimmers. Seniors Josiah Williams and Alexander Bratton qualified for state sectionals in the 50 freestyle. Bratton also qualified for state sectionals in the 100 backstroke for which he earned 11 points for the men’s team in. He also qualified for the 100 freestyle at an individual meet earlier that week.
“I worked hard in the summer and was extremely motivated having breaking both of his hips in the span of one year. Coach Lundgren and I have high hopes for my last season with the Senators,” Bratton said.
Being low on swimmers didn’t stop the men from having relays. The men scored 12 points in the 200 Free Relay when first leg Kipten West, Matthew Hammer, Williams and the anchor, Bratton, finished 11th (1:56.98). The men’s team scored 45 points and finished in 8th place just like the girls.
Last season the team was comprised of only 13 swimmers, but have a total of 18 swimmers this season. The newcomers are mainly comprised of a youth movement coming largely in the form of Monrovia Middle School student body members. Eighth graders Sophie Lee and Jayden Gordon, along with seventh graders Minnon, West and Freeman Holifield III, join returning MMS eighth grade swimmers West, Lillian Aguilar and Megan Zaremba.
The team has one meet under their belt and there are already more state sectional qualifiers than last year showing remarkable improvement lead by Lungdren
,” Lungdren said.
Lungdren liked the performances she saw on saturday and believes that Sparkman will only grow stronger and better as the season progresses. She plans to shake up the events that the swimmers will compete in and the relay teams they will be apart of. She is looking forward to the next meet on the 21st in Scottsboro and plans to show the state of Alabama what the Sparkman swim team is all about.
“They have a heart of gold. I loved seeing them cheer each other on either from the bleachers, behind the blocks, or poolside. Although I had a feeling, I loved that they showed it to the world,” Lundgren said.
