On Jan. 31 and Feb. 1, the GDS swimming and diving team competed in the Washington Metropolitan Prep School Swim Dive League (WMPSSDL) swim meet. Eight Hopper swimmers competed in the finals of the meet.
The women’s team scored 110 points to finish 16th of 25 schools, and the men’s team scored 24 points to finish 21st of 22 schools. Points are awarded based on placement, with the faster finishers receiving more points. In this meet, the top finishers of individual events received 32 points, and the top finishers of relay events received 64 points.
On Saturday, GDS’ first event was the women’s 200-yard freestyle. Sophomore Sophie Lim earned a time of 1:58.41. Her time was the second fastest in her heat, and tenth of 24 total swimmers. Lim’s time was 2.04 seconds faster than her time in the prelims.
Freshman Tessa Lipman swam in the twelfth event, the women’s 100-yard butterfly. Lipman finished with a time of 1:03.61. She placed fifth in her heat and thirteenth overall among 24 swimmers. “I thought one-hundred fly was my best event this meet,” she said.
Next, Lim and Lipman swam in the 16th event, women’s 500-yard freestyle. Lim performed well, producing a time of 5:17.54, which was 5.33 seconds faster than her time in the prelims. She won her heat and placed ninth overall, out of 16 swimmers. Lipman was not far behind, finishing with a time of 5:32.32, which was fourth fastest in her heat. Her time was 0.2 seconds faster than her time in the prelims.
In the male division, GDS swimmers competed in the men’s 200-yard freestyle relay. The relay team was made up of sophomores Ethan McKenzie and Sean Keeley and freshmen Ethan Hirsh and Heath Holley. The team finished the relay with a time of 1:44.73, 3.27 seconds faster than their time in the prelims. The time was third fastest in the first heat.
(McKenzie is on the Bit’s staff.)
GDS’ final event of the meet was the women’s 200-yard freestyle relay. This relay team was composed of Lim, Lipman and freshmen Rebecca Hirsh and Ridgely Neppl. The Hoppers finished with a time of 1:50.25, placing first in their heat and 17th out of all 21 teams.
Lipman said the meet was an exciting and enjoyable experience. “It was a pretty hype meet at finals, so it was exciting to go up there and swim fast,” she said.
Following the meet, Lim reflected on the team’s progress. “I think as a team we’ve collectively improved significantly throughout the season,” she said. “People are getting best times and improving at every meet, and I know the girls have qualified for all three relays for [the Washington Metropolitan Interscholastic Swimming & Diving Championship Meet], which is a big improvement from last season.”
Keeley praised the coaches for their role in helping him and the team succeed this season. “I was impressed at how well they did their jobs, supporting and helping us as a team,” he said.
Lim attributed her success to the coaching staff. “A big factor to my performance yesterday was the coaches,” she said. “They created a really fun environment, and their encouragement was definitely the reason behind my improvement from prelims to finals. It’s been amazing being able to swim for them this season and I’m really excited to finish the rest of the championship meets with them.”
GDS will compete in the Washington Metropolitan Interscholastic Swimming & Diving Championship meet at the Germantown Sportsplex on Feb. 7 at 4:30 p.m.