The Wadsworth swim team competed in its second meet of the season on Wednesday, December 6. The Grizzlies hosted a tri-meet with Hudson and Twinsburg, both of which are also members of the Suburban League National Conference.
In the girls competition, Wadsworth won against Twinsburg 104-60, but lost against Hudson 69-100. This brings their record to 2-2.
“I think the team did really well,” said junior Allison Bartiromo. “We put up a good fight, and there were a lot of good swims.”
Bartiromo swam in the 200 IM and the 100 Breaststroke. She was happy with her performance in both events.
“It went pretty well,” Bartiromo said. “I was really close to my PR in the 200 IM, and I swam around the same as last time for my 100 Breaststroke.”
The girls recently lost senior state qualifier Camryn Henderson due to a shoulder injury. Despite Henderson’s absence, the team has still been able to be competitive against their opponents.
On the boy’s side, Wadsworth fell to both Hudson and Twinsburg. However, they are looking to improve throughout the season.
“I’m excited to see us progress throughout the year,” said senior Ethan Kuzmik.
Kuzmik joined the swim team this year. While he also participates in band and golf, he wants to have a new experience as a senior.
“I wanted to try something new,” Kuzmik said. “I want to be able to say when I’m 40 years old that I swam in high school.”
Being on the swim team takes a significant level of commitment. The team begins practicing at the beginning of November, though many of them swim year-round. Practices consist of a mix of swimming and lifting, which are held both before and after school. Many of the swimmers either swim or lift in the morning, go to school, and then swim again in the afternoon.
The goal of this intense practice schedule is to prepare the swimmers to peak at the right time. Led by two-time state qualifier Maddy Schnelzer, the team hopes to have a strong showing throughout the season.
The Grizzlies will be back in action next Saturday, December 16 at the annual Christmas Invite held at McKinley High School.
