by Maleny Mireles
New Prairie Boys’ and Girls’ Swim Teams beat the waves and South Bend Clay for their senior night.
Boys’ varsity beat Clay 139-32 and girls varsity won 102-81 at their home meet on Jan. 9th.
Seniors include Caroline Foster, Allie Palmer, Emily Elm, Claudia Bisping, Allie Harris, Chloé Stantz, Amber Neuhold, Hanna Wilcox, Ariana Plourde, Conner Snyder, Tom Eggleston, Jacob Dockery, Broc Boniface and Luke Papai.
The seniors were honored with a walk down the deck escorted by their parents and their senior speeches were read by the underclassmen. They were also gifted with caps and towels embroidered with their names and treats.
“It was an emotional night dedicated to us and it involved a lot of joking around when most of the time it’s serious,” said Tom Eggleston, senior swimmer.
Eggleston has participated in the sport for 13 years. His talent helped the boys’ medley team get on track for breaking the school record of 1.42.
The motivation to break their personal records was instilled by the coaches.
Coaches Ashley Wojtysiak, Kyle Young, and Sammi Vogeler pushed the teams to their victories.
“Coach Ashley is a good motivator and pushes everyone as a swimmer and a person and all the coaches helped everyone individually improve,” said Allie Harris, senior swimmer.
Along with Eggleston and Harris, senior swimmer Luke Papai believe it’s the closest the team has ever been.
The team-initiated traditions include playing the songs “I Want It That Way,” by the Backstreet Boys and “All Star,” by Smash Mouth while getting off the bus after their meets.
Despite the rashes, chlorine smells, and messy hair, Papai continued his participation for the love of the sport.
The teams are now working to advance after the conference meet.