Last Friday, the Unalaska Raider Swim Team converged on the newly renovated Aquatics Center for their last home swim meet of the season. It was stormy outside, but a great day for swimming on the inside. They started their warm ups at 5 and the meet began at 6 with introductions by Coach D. This swim meet was senior night, so after all of the other swimmers had their names called, it was time for the seniors to make their entrance.
The swimmers gathered around the bottom of the slide to wait as each senior, dressed in a superhero costume, flew down the slide one by one. The theme of the night was “senior superheroes” because as Coach D said, the seniors have always been heroes for this team. Once everyone had gotten back on the pool deck, the seniors got with their families and were given heartfelt introductions by Coach D. After that, these four dedicated swimmers were given one last round of applause in front of the home crowd. The four seniors, Amber Le, Delanney McConnell, Marjamae Pili, and Trey Henning will certainly be missed by this team and the fans of Unalaska swimming. To cap off the night, Amber Le and Delaney McConnell sang the National Anthem.
With that, the swim meet began with the 200 yard medley relay. The junior high teams went first, followed by the high school. These community meets are unique in the way that junior high swimmers are able to compete against high schoolers. It’s a great way to challenge the younger athletes, and in the past there have even been junior high swimmers who have set school records. This swim meet was the last of the year for the junior high, so they made sure to try their hardest. It showed, and there were personal records all across the board for the junior high.
The high school did great too and freshman Adam Nguyen set a new school record in the 100 yard freestyle. Adam had set three different records this year, and is hoping to qualify for the upcoming state meet in Anchorage. He has been an exciting athlete to watch this season, and we are hoping to see many more broken records in the future.
The swim meet was concluded by a short speech by Coach D before the last event of the night. The swimmers then dove in the pool for their last event this season in front of the home crowd. After that, the swimmers all celebrated the end of another successful season by cannon-balling in the pool. Even Coach D jumped in after some chanting by the team. Overall, the Raiders had a great series of home meets and we are all looking forward to what the team will do next.
The out of town meets for the high school swimmers will be in Palmer and Kodiak, which is where the regional meet will be. After Kodiak, qualifying swimmers will compete at the state meet in Anchorage. Good luck Raiders!