The girls varsity swimming and diving team has had a successful 2016 season, which they completed on Oct. 29 at the Long Beach Invitational at Long Beach High School.

After a tough loss to Manhasset High School early in the season, the girls were able to finish a strong season fifth in Nassau County.  At the division championships on Oct. 26 at the Nassau County Aquatic Center, the girls won the 200 medley relay and 200 free relay, qualifying for the state championships in both events.

There were eighteen girls who qualified for the county championships and five who qualified for states throughout the season.

“At counties, we expect our relays to finish in the top four and others to make states.  At states, we expect to final in both individual events and in our relays,” said junior Molly McLoughlin.

The team’s combination of experienced swimmers and new talent allowed them to succeed this season.

Senior captains Catie Egan, Amanda Wong, Krissy McCann, Katie Oppenheim, and Emma Mills led the team as a strong and cohesive unit.  Their leadership allowed the swimmers to band together to become a family.

“Our division championship meet was a really exciting meet because of the fact that so many people made counties and states,” said Wong.  “It’s always so exciting to see your teammates reach their goals, and I love that we really do feel like a team despite the fact that swimming is considered an individual sport.”

The girls built up momentum throughout the season to succeed at the county and state final meets, and the results showed for it as the team continued into an impressive postseason run.

At counties, the 400 yard freestyle relay, consisting of juniors Annabelle Corcoran and Anna Thompson and freshmen Madeline Competello and freshman Caitlin Knight, set the school record in the event by eleven seconds.  They recorded the top time at the county meet, and were ranked seventh in the state.  McLoughlin used her final opportunity to qualify for states to make the cut for the 200 individual medley event.

At the states meet, Corcoran was ranked seventeenth in the state for the 500 yard freestyle race.  Additionally, both the 200 freestyle relay and the 400 freestyle relay qualified for state finals.  Collectively, the five girls who qualified for states swam eleven races, the most in team history.

However, the girls’ growth and success was not specific to the water.  They prospered this season and set an exemplary standard of conduct and quality for years to come in the girls swimming program at Schreiber.

“The team is looking really strong for next season, and as a senior it’s been really cool to see how far we’ve come since my first year on the team,” said Wong.

Additionally, the girls diving team had an outstanding season with three divers competing at counties.  The diving team was led by Coach Matt Carozzo.  Junior Sam Sanger surpassed the previous school record by three points.

“We have a bunch of underclassmen and younger girls who will be able to contribute even more next year. Everybody has high expectations for the future,” said sophomore Tyler Greenberg.