The Blanchet Swim team made a definite splash in their meet against West Seattle and Chief Sealth on October 23rd, 2015, at Queen Anne pool.

The brave ladies held a celebration for the nine seniors who have lead the squad this season. Captains Devon Paulus and Katey Murphy rallied up the girls before the meet with a series of cheers and chants. They established a positive atmosphere from the start which led the team to have an outstanding performance, especially by the seniors.

After a diving competition, multiple relays, and solo races, there was a celebration of the seniors Devon Paulus, Neah Gardiner, Makda Negash, Genissa Dacayanan, Hailey Strecker, Hannah Garcia, Katey Murphy, Sierra Brown, and Grace Budinich. With the help of team manager, Braden Thole, each senior was presented with flowers and a bag of treats from their teammates as a sign of love and appreciation.

“It was sentimental and stressful planning for senior night,” said senior Braden Thole.

“I did it with nothing but love for the girls!”

The brave students came out to support the senior girls along with many proud parents. As the game of the week, the swim meet attracted many fans and set a season record. Many of these fans had never been to a previous swim meet and were very pleased by the team dynamic that they were exposed to.

“I haven’t been to a swim meet before,” said Senior Jack Robel.

“It was pretty awesome seeing the team atmosphere and celebrating the seniors on their big day. All of the girls raced so well.”

Not only was it sentimental for the parents and fans, but the senior girls felt it too. After a touching presentation was made to each of the seniors, the girls were able to relax, connect, and enjoy one of their last moments of being together at the pool.

Although the competition itself was intense, the emphasis was definitely placed on the well deserving Blanchet seniors as they finished up their season and prepared to dive into the next chapter of their lives.