Girls swimming and diving finished their season on Saturday Nov. 22nd, after placing 2nd at Sectionals and 11th at State.

Although New Trier finished as the runner-up to Loyola at sectionals they only placed 11th at State.

The Trevians sent ten athletes to the State competition in an effort to defend their state title. New Trier expected fast times from their athletes against stiff competition.

However, Loyola finished on top, winning the state competition which ended New Trier’s four year winning streak. Many swimmers stepped up to fill the shoes of last year’s powerhouse team, who saw a significant number of swimmers graduate.

“Very few get challenging opportunities before competing on varsity,” commented Bruce Kimball, the diving coach for New Trier.

After last season’s seniors left the team, the majority of varsity swimmers were swapped out with a relatively young squad. Only three seniors had previously competed at State, leaving seven sophomores and juniors to follow the experienced seniors.

The girls swimming and diving team won State for the past four consecutive years, but 11th place does not mean failure.

“We focus on helping our athletes achieve their goals,” said Kimball. That’s exactly what they did.

“I got my best times at State,” said Senior Captain Brittany Bishop, “So it was successful on a more personal level.”

Bishop competed in the 200-yard freestyle relay along with junior Morgan Conley, sophomore Lydia O’Connell, and Nicole Retondo, earning 2nd at State.

This success gives many up-and-comers, such as O’Connell, a boost of confidence for future high-stakes meets. Seven of the athletes who went downstate had never competed at the State level, and pressure can unpredictably affect performance.

In the article “Performing Under Pressure, Patrick Cohn PhD explains, “Some athletes thrive on the feeling of pressure, whereas others crumble mentally and choke. Experience, confidence, and beliefs play a vital role in how well an athlete will perform under pressure.”

This season’s State group marked the youngest team in years, but that will most likely pay off next season. Instead of having three State returners, the team will have seven State returners.

Bishop, Retondo, and senior diver Rebecca Stern, wrapped up their New Trier Swimming and Diving careers at State.

Additionally, junior Sophie Conley placed 12th in the diving finals. Retondo earned 5th in the 100-yard breaststroke consolation race, and junior Julia Green, sophomore Mia Haggerty, Retondo, and Bishop won the 400-yard freestyle relay consolation race.

“Next year’s team will be much older, and with all this racing experience, they will do much better at State,” said Bishop.

Sending younger girls to State is always a large concern because, like Cohn explained, pressure can greatly affect any athlete’s performance. The more they compete at high-pressure meets, the better they can cope with and utilize stress.

“The current upperclassmen never had chance to compete at a higher level, so this helped prepare other kids for upcoming seasons,” said head swimming coach Mac Guy, “Our team has a long term focus, and we help our athletes set themselves up to have confidence for future meets.”