Girls swim sectionals happened recently and our DGS girls swim team went out to compete on our schools behalf. Our girls faced off against Hinsdale Central and Hinsdale South, among other rivals.

Sectionals can be important for the team. It can get them college offers or send them to state. Head swim coach Paul Krick states how the team did at the meet.

“We did well, they took 3rd at sectionals, out of 15 teams. We set 3 team records. Madeline Padavic in the 200 im, Audrey Mahoney in the 50 free and the 100 free. The one before conference Madeline Padavic set the 100 back record,” Krick said.

With sectionals being such a big part of the season there could be a difference in training for the girls. Krick speaks on the changes that are made for practices in preparation for the meet.

“As we end our season, we give the girls more rest in our sets, give them less yardage. Let them kind of recover from the training they have done all season,”- Krick said.

With training, it really matters for the swimmers over anyone else. Varsity swimmer Hillary Morris talks about how practices look in anticipation of the sectional meet.

“For us, sectionals are for our individual races. Sectionals we train specifically for the races we are swimming there. It is one of the biggest meets of the year that colleges can look at it,” Morris said.

Supporting your team is the best thing you can do when you aren’t competing. Obviously with COVID-19, it will look different this year. Morris explains how the team cheered each other on during this year’s sectionals.

“Covid makes it hard to cheer on our teammates because we can’t be on deck to support the team so we will wait by the exit of the pool and all walk each other to the gym and congratulate each other,” Morris said.

The old saying goes “there’s no I in team” but for swim, they emphasize the “ME” in the word. Krick mentions how sectionals are all about individual times.

“Overall it doesn’t matter all we care about is the girls swimming fast. We don’t care about where we place as a team, it doesn’t matter at that meet. We could win it and everyone swam not fast and I’d be not happy. We could be last and everyone has a fast time, that would be fine,” Krick said.