By Megan Goetcheus, Nick Ensing, and Germain Code
For the varsity girls swim team, the sky’s the limit. With more victories than losses this year, the team feels great about where they’re at, and the future to come.
“We’ll prosper, we are all similar as far as how we envision the future for our team,” freshman Delaney Bouwens said. “Northview is known for their spirit.”
The girls are closer than recent years, creating bonds and friendships for life.
“We never put each other down, we’re truly like a family,” senior Lauren Bockheim said. “We’re all just weird, if that makes any sense. And we never judge each other.”
Bockheim broke her own record for the 100 meter backstroke, as well as two others. She is proud of herself and the team’s effort throughout the season.
“We’ve won a lot more so I feel like we’ve worked hard to accomplish all that we have,” Bockheim said.
When the conference meet rolled around, the team held a 4-3 record for conference meets, along with a first place finish at the 2017 Dewitt Invitational. The team placed 4th at the conference meet, with multiple relays, along with a few individual races, qualifying for the state meet.
“It’s not about how many ‘good’ swimmers we have, it’s about how hard we all work,” Bockheim said.
Bouwens confessed the struggles that she faced in the beginning of the season, with a disconnect between grades. But soon after the season started, the seniors opened up their hearts to the underclassmen, making them feel like family. Now, they never miss a chance to have fun, both in and out of the water.
“We have so much spirit, we’re always dancing on the deck,” Bouwens said. “We bring each other up, we share everything with one another.”
The state meet is set to take place on Friday, November 17th, with finals on the 18th. Junior Brooke Johnson qualified for the 50 meter freestyle, and she has big hopes for the seasons final meet.
“We’re hoping to be recognized as ‘all-state’, which is when an athlete is recognized as one of the best in the state,” Johnson said. “This is an exciting goal for us to work towards for the next two weeks.”