(Photo courtesy Mrs. Anderson)

By Alexis Broderick – Staff Reporter

The girls swim team at Jonathan Law is off to an amazing start this season.

As of October 2, the swim record is 5-1, and they’re only expecting it to get better.  They have beaten Branford, Sacred Heart Academy, West Haven, Sheehan, and Bunnell.

“We expect this season to be better because we have been working extremely hard at practice,”  senior captain Cali Jolley said. “At our meets girls have been setting new times which helps and improves us as a team.”

Junior Brooke Nabors qualified for states in the 100 fly and 100 back. Nabors’ time for the 100 fly is 105.61 and her time for the 100 back is 109.04

“It’s the best feeling knowing that all the hard work pays off,” Nabors said.

The 2018 girl swim captains are Bella Carroll, Mary Lonergan, Julie Myers, and Jolley. These girls work extremely hard before and during the season with head coach Mrs. Anderson.

“I meet with my captains before the season and we come up with some goals for the team together,” Anderson said. “I know we have great leadership, so I trust the captains to organize fun team bonding experiences, and act as liaisons between the coaches and the rest of the team.”

Carroll and Lonergan have been captains for their junior and senior years.

“I was excited knowing that I was captain again,” said Lonergan. “I know the other captains and I are going to lead the team to success and develop more skills.”

The captains enjoy setting up pasta parties and other recreational team building activities. It builds cohesion as a team and nurtures friendships between underclassmen and upperclassmen.

“Swim has built friendships because we are surrounded by each other every day so we get to know each other very well,” Carroll said. “We see each other in different circumstances than you usually would if you weren’t on a team with someone.”

The captains have been swimming for all four years of their high school swim career.  They all have been inspired to swim for very diverse reasons and will never regret their choice.

“What inspired me to swim was having a sibling who swam, but mostly that all my friends were planning on swimming and I knew how swim was very welcoming and accepting,” Myers said. “I knew as a freshman coming into a new school playing a new sport,  swim was my place to get away from things and enjoy the time I had with my teammates.”