A week ago, both the Boys Swim and Dive Team and the Girls Swim and Dive Team brought the State Championship to the halls of Arizona College Prep High School from this year’s AIA DIII State Championship! This is the first state championship for both the boys and girls swim and dive programs and a phenomenal way to end the season. Our individual State Swim and Dive Championships include Nicole Byrnes Cortinas for 100 Breast and 200 Individual Medley, Saylor Debnem for 100 Butterfly, and Libby Thai for Girls Dive. Other top placers at the tournament include:

Kara Neilson – 7th place diving

Cohen Gunsalus – 3rd place 200 IM and 4th place 100 fly

Saylor Debnam – 6th place 100 back

Diego Rios – 5th place 500 free, 8th place 100 breast

Tiago Wakefield – 5th place 100 back, 6th place 100 fly

Adia Peterson – 5th place 200 free, 7th place 100 free

Ashlyn Tierney – 8th place 100 back, 12th place 100 fly

Andrea Su – 7th place 100 fly, 12 place 200 IM

Abby Lawrence – 7th place 50 free, 16th 100 breast

Mackenzie Fauth – 10th place 500 free

Ian Kung – 9th place 200 IM, 10th place 100 breast

Ella Roy – 9th place 500 free, 11th place 100 breast

Boys 200 Med Relay – 4th place (Ian Kung, Diego Rios, Jesse Wu, Justin Lee)

Girls 200 Med Relay – 3rd place (Ashlyn Tierney, Ella Roy, Saylor Debnam, Nicole Byrnes Cortinas)

Boys 200 Free Relay – 2nd place (Justin Lee, Cohen Gunsalus, Tiago Wakefield, Ian Kung)

Girls 200 Free Relay – 5th place (Abigail Lawrence, Grace Richerson, Adia Peterson, Andrea Su)

Boys 400 Free Relay – 4th place (Cohen Gunsalus, Justin Lee, Diego Rios, Tiago Wakefield)

Girls 400 Free Relay – 2nd place (Adia Peterson, Saylor Debnam, Andrea Su, Nicole Byrnes Cortinas)

Today, we’ll be talking with Rishi Kishore, one of the captains for the team to learn about his perspective on his last Swim and Dive season before he graduates, and his experience in the sport.

Rishi is a senior and has been on the team for all four years of his high school career. Other than swimming, he loves to game, nerd out about Star Wars or any other space-related activities. He also is part of SEDS (Students for the Exploration and Development of Space), and you can catch him on the track for spring sports season. In addition to his four years of dedication to the sport, Rishi has been swimming competitively for a good eight years on-and-off as it was “the one thing I truly loved doing as a child”. Rishi elaborates further, “The same holds true for today: I love competing with myself to see if I can go faster”.

As a senior, Rishi often finds himself looking back at all the team dinners and “throwing a sophomore into the pool during our intersquad meet”, he humorously comments. “I loved goofing off with my team, but I also loved the dedication they showed when it was game time. I enjoy knowing that we went undefeated and won State because of not only how fast we are, but the culture we carry.” To those who aren’t on the ACP Swim Team and have experience swimming under their belt, he encourages to give swimming a try as Rishi finds himself adoring the team’s culture. “You may make friends for life there” he adds “To those on the swim team: remember what makes ACP Swim and Dive the great program we are. Know that the team will only get faster, so give it your all while showing the best sportsmanship to other teams and your teammates. Remember that we are more than just a team: we are a family”.

What a wonderful season it’s been for not only Swim and Dive, but for the other fall sports as well! As winter starts to roll in, we’re excited to see what the winter sports season has in store this year for all our Knights who are participating. Being a part of a sport isn’t just about the exercise or having something to put on your college applications and job resume; it’s about building a lifestyle, a personality, and most of all, a family outside of your home. Being a part of a sport allows kids to make friends and memories, delving into aspects of their personality that’ll help them flourish in the future. So, if you’re interested in participating in a sport this year, don’t be afraid to try-out, because you’ll never know what you’ll be missing out on until you try it!