Though Paly girls swim lost its two-year streak of winning the Central Coast Section (CCS) meet, the girls ended in fourth place, while the boys ended in 14th at the May 11 and 12 competition.

“Our team worked really hard this season and I think our efforts showed.” said sophomore Ashley Guo.

This was evident in the team, as despite the loss, there are still many members progressing to the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) meet.

“I’m really proud of this team for the effort in CCS and even though we didn’t win, I think the team [morale] is still strong and we are all ready for States,” said senior Zoe Lusk. “I hope to make the most of my last States meet with Paly, and have fun and make memories.”

Fortunately, Paly swim was able to achieve success in winning first at Santa Clara Valley Athletic Leagues (SCVALS) in order to qualify for CCS.

Marking the third consecutive win for the girls and the first victory in six years for the boys, the swim teams won the championships within their league on April 27. Despite losing the league finals to Gunn, the  team was able to win overall because of its performance in dual meets.The team celebrated with a beloved tradition, rushing to throw Coach Danny Dye into the pool.

“Winning the [third] league title was a lot of fun, watching the seniors go out like that. And just seeing the way the kids all stepped up, got excited, wanted to do well for everybody and really came together as a team.”

Danny Dye

According to junior Mary Fetter, part of this success can be attributed to the supportive and encouraging community of the Paly swim team, allowing athletes to push each other and thrive.

“I think that we have the best team ever,” Fetter said. “[The] dynamic is amazing and even though swimming is kind of a boring sport sometimes, our team makes it fun.”

Despite key seniors graduating, senior Captain Claire Lin says the team looks forward to a bright and promising future.

“We lost a lot of seniors last year so the underclassmen really stepped it up,” Lin said. “I wish the best of luck to the Vikings . . .  We’re loud, obnoxious. It’s fun. We’re carefree and when we need to step it up we know how to get it done.”