AnnaKubat

After a clutch victory in the last event of the day, the Marian Swim and Dive team reigned victorious for the second year in a row. 

Following a tight three-point margin, the Marian Swim and Dive team won the state championship again. 

“It was an exciting championship to say the least. Just a thrilling weekend with all three days having big performances from our athletes,” Coach B.J. Christiansen said. 

The Crusaders have won five state titles in the past 10 years, and this is the second time they have been able to go back to back. It also happened in 2020 and 2021. In total, they have won 18 times since the first girls’ meet in 1973.

“I think the major difference that helped us win at the state meet this year compared to last was the team closeness and the support we had. We knew we had to lean on each other,” said junior Olivia French, who medaled in the 500 freestyle and the 400 and 200 freestyle relays. 

Turns out, leaning on each other was exactly what they needed to win. Marian had 10 swimmers and two divers score to contribute to their 322-point win over the other top teams of Lincoln East and Elkhorn. 

The pressure to perform was tricky to deal with, especially coming into the meet as a lower-ranked team. But this pressure wasn’t enough to stop them. 

Part of the reason they overcame the mental challenge of swimming and diving was through their preparation. 

“What we focused a lot on this year was building our team depth. Working hard when they were tired, racing hard at meets and handling the pressure. We tried to simulate that as much as we could at practice, and it’s easy when you have such a great group of kids who can help put that pressure on each other. Training hard in practice is what makes the competition fun,” Christiansen said. 

The girls train every day, driving in the harshest winter conditions, waking up early in the morning for weights and traveling to the University of Nebraska-Omaha pool for their practices.

The second half was the trust in the team. Sophomore Sanibel Miller was nervous her freshman year of state but this year was a different story.

“You have to trust your training. Trust what you have been working on all season because you have put in so much work to be at state. Remembering this is what helped me to be more confident this year,” Miller said. 

Competing at a level such as state can be intimidating, but it’s also a fun experience. The pressure to perform well as well as keep calm can seem overwhelming.

Senior Lucy Johansen, a swimmer committed to South Dakota State University, has competed at the state level all four years for Marian. She advises athletes to “work on not putting too much pressure on yourself. It is serious but if you mess up, it will be fine. You just worked so hard to get to this spot so give it all you have.”

This mentality showed up time and time again as they pulled ahead on the final day of the meet. Emotions were running high but the biggest one of all was pride. 

“I am just very extremely proud of all of them. It is very hard what they do. It is very hard on them mentally, physically, emotionally and they still did it. This will definitely be one of the seasons I remember because of how much the girls grew. I’m still so impressed with their ability to come back,” Christiansen said. He looks forward to the season to come and the chance to compete again. 

Many of the girls have already jumped back into club swimming and diving, preparing already for the next high school season. With such a strong group of seniors leaving, the girls will have to fight hard to maintain their place on top. But if the 2026 season shows anything, it is that the Marian swim and dive team can rise to the test and take state once again.