By Breana Aquino – Staff Reporter

The Jonathan Law girls swim and dive season recently came to an end with a record of 5-6.

This year’s season was led by senior captains Kayla Markowitz, Sarah McCann, and Melissa Servas. Despite the loss of last year’s seniors, the introduction of new freshmen, as well as returning members, the team was able to adjust and adapt accordingly for the season.

Head Coach Rob Rosner has been coaching Law for the past 10 years – the last seven as as head coach.

“We had a lot of people step into new roles and do an unbelievable job doing whatever the team needed to make sure we were successful,” Rosner said. “This is one of the hardest working teams we’ve ever had and I think a lot of that has to do with our seniors and the example they set for everyone else.”

Over the course of the season, there were a few great moments from it that stood out to Rosner.

“I’d say as a team, our win over Daniel Hand was one of my favorite moments,” Rosner said. “It was the first time we had ever beaten them, and the way our team came together to get the job done was really special.”

Another highlight was the team’s win over West Haven the night before their senior night at Foran.

First joining the team as a sophomore, senior captain Kayla Markowitz is impressed with how much the team accomplished this year.

“I was so proud to be named captain this year as I can’t imagine a better community to be involved in here at Law,” Markowitz said. “Being surrounded by the most supportive, motivated, and kind hearted girls makes me sad to go but has been so inspiring.”

This season, Markowitz qualified for States in the 100 yard freestyle and the 100 yard backstroke. She competed in SCC finals, which was a huge personal accomplishment for her.

Markowitz committed to the big change of switching from two events, to mainly focusing on her 100 yard freestyle, posing only to further help the team out.

In terms of fundraising, the team has raised a total of $2,438 for their Lion Heart fundraiser. The money is donated to Smilow Cancer Hospital at Yale New Haven and the Yale Cancer Center to help with breast cancer research.

Assistant Coach Mr. Lui is pleased with how the season went for the team. It overall exceeded his expectations.

“Going into the season, I wasn’t sure how we’d perform as a team after losing so many talented seniors,” Lui said. “Many of our upperclassmen showed tremendous improvement and our freshmen quickly embraced our team culture and contributed right away.”

Lui has been swimming competitively since he was six, with the sport teaching him many valuable things that he translates into coaching to help others. This season was no different. Lui and Rosner share a great relationship, with their shared coaching helping motivate the girls to improve all around.

In spite of the restrictions she faced due to her injuries the prior season, sophomore Tali McHugh got the chance to experience her first year in the pool with the team this fall season.

McHugh swam the 50 and the 100 freestyle, dropping time in all of her events.

“I improved my stroke technique, breathing patterns, and overall endurance,” McHugh said. “I chose this sport because I have swam my whole life and always loved the sport of swimming.”

McHugh aspires to drop even more time in all of her events next year, hoping to swim back to her full potential without injury.

With freshman Vanessa Chen’s first season with the team over, she is already looking forward to next year’s season. The supportive group made her feel welcome.

Chen did not have a specific event for the season, switching between events like the 200 IM or the 500 freestyle, in which she often drops time in.

“There’s no problem bonding with anyone and the coaches will motivate you to do your best,” Chen said. “It naturally makes you a better athlete.”