Battling lap after lap, the Blue Devils eventually emerged victorious after a hard-fought battle against the Pioneers. The meet was neck and neck, both teams putting up big scores, resulting in a final score of 89-81. This result concluded the regular season and brought them to an impressive 10-1 record.
Despite the tough competition, Westfield was able to pull through with the win with a larger variety of swimmers than typical. “This meet was an opportunity for some of the other swimmers on our team to get a chance to swim against a great team,” said head coach Steve Whittington.
With this meet lineup having some atypical events for the Blue Devils, they knew they were going to have to approach with open minds. “The team was very versatile today by trying out new events, as a lot of distance girls swim sprint events and vice versa,” said senior Cecilia Wiggins in agreement. “I think trying out new events and being open to new ideas was a major factor to our success today”.
Two days prior, the Blue Devils had a motivating victory over Summit, who they will face again in the postseason. “We have a tough road ahead of us, for sure. Not only do we have the county championship coming up against Summit who we barely beat but we want to come home with that championship,” said Whittington.
Throughout the demanding season and competitive meets so far, the Blue Devils need to stay consistent with their energy in the meets to come. “This win and our success so far definitely gives us confidence to move forward,” said senior co-captain Ava Contract. “This year we have been a lot more successful than last year, so the new girls on the team are especially motivated to push their hardest and go faster in the pool.”
The Blue Devils have found an abundance of success so far this season, but they still have a way to go. Their wins have put them in a promising place, looking ahead to the state tournament. As Whittington stated, “We’ve done really well to put ourselves in the position to be the number one seed, which means we get the easiest path — but we still have to walk it. So we have a lot of hard work to put in. That’s really what it comes down to.”
The Blue Devils jump back in next week as they take on Summit in the county tournament. The blue devils have established themselves as a force to be reckoned with and a clear contender for the County Championship.
