BrookeHerdzina

The peak of swim season, Nebraska State swimming and diving, takes place for three days, Feb. 22-24, at Bob Devaney pool in Lincoln. The team ended up placing second overall to Westside. The 200m medley relay brought home gold with the 6th fastest time in State history. The team placed at the State tournament in several other categories as well. Meredith Peyton won gold in the 100m fly and brought home a new school record. This marks the 10th year in a row that Marian has placed in the top two for State swimming.
To reach this point, however, Marian swimmers and divers spend months preparing, both mentally and physically.
Marian swim and dive practices and trains six times a week. These practices start well before most other Marian students are awake, at 5:45 a.m. Swimmers qualify for State on an “event basis,” meaning that the swimmers participate in specific events that they qualify for. The athletes are able to qualify for State during regular season meets. Instead of having designated meets where athletes advance, the team has the whole season to qualify. This means that swimmers are able to reach State status as soon as their first meet.
The unique form of qualification helps athletes push themselves to become better throughout their whole season, as well as easing some pressure as there is a longer time period to qualify. To prepare swimmers for State, the program targets both physical and mental strength. “We train our bodies through weights and swim, but we also train our minds to be calm and ready,” junior Alaira Hadford said. State swimming is an important part of the season, not only because of the competition, but it also plays a key role in bringing the team closer.
“Even though we have different roles and individual goals, we all come together in the end to compete for the team,” Hadford said. State helps the team connect as they fight toward a shared goal: victory.
“We all want the same end goal. We all have fun while we are working hard which grows a great bond between all of us,” Hadford said. A season full of work, early mornings, swim meets and a team full of dedicated athletes makes it possible for Marian to reach State swimming yet again.