As we progress through the Spring Season of sports, many of our teams have begun league play going against many of the other high schools within our district this includes Aliso Niguel’s Boys and Girls Swim team with them starting to take big steps towards many of their goals from winning the entirety of the South Coast League and have many of their swimmers compete in the California Interscholastic Federation League (CIF) while showing dedication, team spirit, and close bonds with one another.
Currently, both the Boys and Girls teams have an incredible overall record of 4-0, going undefeated in every meet they have competed in, with a League record of 1-0. The teams have competed in their first league meet against Tesoro High School on March 24. Later on, they will go up against tough opponents, including Capistrano Valley High School, San Clemente High School and Beckman High School.
When asked about the meet, Varsity swimmer Yorgos Lepe (12) said, “Yeah, we did well in our meet, we beat them by a lot, but more importantly, a lot of us dropped times, which shows us our practicing is working.”
Throughout the meet, Aliso’s swimmers placed high in each event they competed in, both team relays and individual races, scoring points that helped guarantee victory within this meet, with a majority of the Aliso swimmers competing in these events placing First, Second, Third or Fourth.
When Lepe was asked about how he and the team can improve, he said, “I personally think I need to condition myself more and focus on my form through working hard during practice and trying to lift more weight consistently and for the team. I believe they are doing well as long as we remember to make it to our events.”
The Boys and Girls teams still have many upcoming meets with tougher opponents compared to Tesoro, with their next meets being Mar. 31 against Capistrano Valley High School and Apr. 15 against Beckman High School, the two schools that are considered the best within the league based on past records. However, each year changes the roster, and that means things are most likely different.
Upcoming swim meets are not the only thing the girls and boys teams are looking forward to. From Apr. 6th to 10th, during spring break, the athletes enter Hell week. This is where they train for the upcoming League Finals, with them pushing their limits in high-intensity workouts with little rest, with the goal of strengthening their muscle groups from their arms and legs to their core. However, the week after the athletes will enter a taper or rest week where they do minimal workouts to allow their bodies to recover and prevent excess strain.
The athletes and coaches for both the Girls and Boys Swim teams are very optimistic about what is next for the program, but are willing to face any challenges or opportunities head-on as they continue to round out this season of Swim.
