The girls swim team is already off to a great start, beating Richland and Hanford on Sept. 12 and dominating all six teams at the Wenatchee Invite on Sept. 14.

Last Thursday, the Panthers swam in Richland, beating Richland High School with a score of 114-72 and Hanford High School with a score of 121-65.

Senior Hannah Bruggman, sophomore Ali Brandt, freshman Isabelle Dressel, and freshman Jessica Wierzbicki all placed first in individual events, and three of Wenatchee’s relays won.

It’s going to be hard to top last year’s records as the team went undefeated throughout the regular season, placed second at Districts, and finishing top ten at State. However, the girls still have high hopes for this season.

“I’m looking forward to seeing how far the team can go this year; this is the best team so far and I’m excited to be a part of it,” said senior Annie Stefanides. Stefanides thinks that the team is well prepared this year, with several strong freshman swimmers and many year-round swimmers.

As a result, the workouts have been difficult, with more dry-land training and longer practices overall.  “We’re tired now, but it will pay off in the end,” said Stefanides. “When you work hard and get rewarded in the end, it feels good, and you feel accomplished.”

The team’s goals this year are to win Districts and place in the top five at State. Coach James Elwyn is feeling confident about the season and the team so far  that a major strength is the senior class as a whole.

“There’s a tendency to think that it’s one individual, but they’re incredibly strong as a group.” There are 28 swimmers this year, and the ones to look out for this year are the seniors Annie Stefanides, Sophia Nordt, Katherine Robinson, Abbi Milner, Rachel Wilt, Randi Roberts and Hannah Bruggman.

Elwyn has only good things to say about the team, and with all of the work that they have been putting in, he predicts “bigger time drops and a better end to the season.”