It came down to the last event. Woodland needed first and third in the relay in order to win. A win would mean Woodland history.
On September 23rd, girls swim beat Watertown for the first time in Woodland history. Going in, they knew the meet would be difficult, but not impossible.
“We knew this year that we had everything we needed,” explains captain Olivia Rua, “But, we also knew we needed to execute every event with 100% effort.”
The girls had a silent bus ride on the way to Watertown to ensure every swimmer and diver was focused on the crucial meet up ahead.
Their focus paid off. Woodland began the meet on a triumphant note, winning the first event, the 200 Yard Medley Relay. The strong team, which consisted of Jordan Williams, Kyla Drewry, Dia Gawronski, and Alexandra Rojcov, beat Watertown by a slim .03 seconds. This close race set the tone for the rest of the meet, which proved to be as competitive as Woodland anticipated it would be.
Senior captain Tatianna Lynn secured two Woodland wins, crushing the 200 Yard Free and well as the 500 Yard Free. Lynn also swam in both the 200 Yard Free Relay as well as the 400 Yard Relay, both of which Woodland earned 1st place in.
Juniors Brooke Pope and Dia Gawronski both performed impressively at the meet.
Pope secured two Woodland wins, in the Girls 50 Yard Free as well as the Girls 100 Yard Free, as well as being part of the relay team that won the 200 Yard Free Relay.
Gawronski also obtained multiple wins, coming out of the 200 Yard IM and 100 Yard Fly victorious. Additionally, she contributed to Woodland’s successes in the 200 Yard Medley Relay and 400 Yard Free Relay.
Despite Woodland’s many wins, the tension was still high at the end of the meet. Watertown and Woodland were neck and neck, and both teams wanted the win.
“The energy was very high,” captain Taylor Amore commented about the dynamic of the meet. “Both teams were cheering a lot. Every point counted, we only won by three, so everyone was really pushing each other.”
In the end, the results of the meet were determined by the last event, the 400 Yard Free Relay. Everyone swimming the event was aware of the importance of the relay. If Woodland secured both first and at least third, the victory (not to mention the honor of making Woodland history) would be theirs.
Luckily, the team works well under pressure.
Tatianna Lynn, Casey Brooks, Kyla Drewry, and Dia Gawronski all worked cohesively and swam a 4:10:52, winning by an impressive 10 seconds.
Woodland obtained third place, due to the performance of Camile Terell, Jordan Williams, Morgan Swift, and Brooke Pope.
After the intense event yielded impressive results, the team was elated, letting out thrilled shrieks and cheers. Following the meet, the team celebrated with a cheerful bus ride home, very different from the silent one they took to Watertown.
The team was understandably excited about this historic win, but captain Olivia Rua has made it clear that this win does not mean the team will begin to relax.
“Even though we beat Watertown our work is not done this season,” clarifies Rua. “Each meet we have, every girl wants to drop time on her events or add points to her diving score. As a team, we are taking one meet at a time.”
Tina is the Executive Social Media Director, and in charge of managing Hawk Headlines. She has spent three full semesters here, and is heavily involved with theater. Tina describes herself as a "pop culture aficionado".
