Swim/Dive places second and seventh in state meet

Jennifer Coon, Copy Editor

February 23, 2016

On Feb. 20, 2016 at George Mason University, the Oakton swim team participated in the VHSL Group 6A State Championships with 43 other teams. Dive was held on the same day at Oak Marr Recreation Center. The Cougars did extremely well at the meet, with the girls as the state runner-up with a total of 171 points behind the team of Robinson, who had 212 points; the boys’ team fell short in seventh place with a total of 125 points after Robinson in first with 235 points, Langley with 190 points, Patriot’s 178 points, McLean with 161 points total, Woodson with 146.5 points, and Chantilly with a total of 142 points.

Senior Bennett Fagan was the only Oakton diver to qualify for the state meet this year. He placed seventh overall with a total of 425.10 points.

On the swimming side of things, many swimmers were able to place and earn points for Oakton to attempt to win the meet. Senior Megan Byrnes placed first in both the 200 freestyle and 500 freestyle. Junior Tommy Hallock placed second in the 50 freestyle. Freshman Daniel Gyenis placed in fourth for the 500 freestyle. The boys 200 freestyle relay composed of junior Drew Weber, senior Brendan Power, Gyenis, and Hallock came in third place. The girls 200 freestyle relay of senior Elise Bourdelais, freshman Nika Sauger, freshman Evelyn Pickett, and Byrnes placed in fourth. The last event of the night, the 400 freestyle relay, had a fourth place finish for the boys team of junior Jet Pham-Ton, Gyenis, senior Constantin Waldschmidt, and Hallock; the girls relay finished in third place with junior Caroline McCleskey, freshman McKenna Witlin, Sauger, and Byrnes.

“I thought the meet was really exciting, and Oakton fought really hard. We had a lot of great swims, and we worked together as a team to do the best that we could. I’m proud of my team, and it was a great way to end the season. Also, the Oakton spirit was phenomenal, and that was truly special,” said junior Katie Krouse, a swimmer on the team who fell short of the post season, on the energy and intensity of the meet.

All in all, the state meet for swim/dive was successful, and everyone at the meet did a great job giving their all in their events while the rest of the team went crazy on the deck cheering for them. The Cougars swim/dive had a great season, and they hope to have a great or even better season next year, hopefully on top with another ring and trophy.

About the Contributor

Jennifer Coon, Copy Editor

As a veteran of the Oakton Outlook, Jennifer (right) has seen the paper and her skills evolve since the beginning of her time as a member of the staff. This year, Jennifer is a junior and copy editor of the paper for the second consecutive year. She is also one of the managers for the swim team and involved in many clubs with leadership positions, such as Oakton Swim Club. Some of her passions are writing and coaching for Special Olympics, and her goal for this year is to build a bridge between her interests and writing to give the Oakton community a glimpse into students at Oakton that are often left on the sidelines. By doing this, Jennifer hopes to achieve that the stigma around mental disabilities is reduced and students are more aware of this topic. In the future, Jennifer hopes to attend The Ohio State University as an English major with a minor in Professional Writing. Her favorite quote is the Special Olympics athlete oath: "Let me win. And if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt."