Yesterday afternoon in the stifling heat, ACP’s Varsity Swim team did the unthinkable: beat Seton Catholic, lose very narrowly to Scottsdale Prep, and break a school record!

The swim meet was at Chandler High at 4:00 P.M. and consisted of three schools: ACP, Seton Catholic, and Scottsdale Prep. This was the first swim meet of the year for ACP and they successfully outswam Seton Catholic 191-141. They unfortunately lost to Scottsdale Prep by 16 points (181-165 for Seton), but placed second overall.

Swimmer Mya Casey (11) answered some questions for us on the basics of swim meets and the team’s meet yesterday. Mya has been on the ACP Swim team for three years since she was a freshman and believes that the sport is “way more intense than most people think”.

Q: Can you explain how swim meets work?

A: Swim meets are normally broken down into events (based on distance, type of stroke, and gender). They are organized by a swimmer’s seed time (their fastest time from previous meets) to ensure that the swimmer is put in the right heat. Many meet officials are present at swim meets to make sure that everyone is following the rules. They pay close attention to each heat, and if someone’s start, flip turn, or stroke is faulty in any way, they may hand out a DQ, or disqualification. This means that however well the swimmer did in their heat, they won’t be awarded points to benefit their team. In an individual race, teams are awarded points for 1st through 5th place. Relays are a tad different, as they are scored on only the 1st through 3rd best. The goal at the end of the day is, obviously, to score as many points as possible. Boys and girls are scored separately but the combined score between both of them determines who wins the meet.

Q: How does the team support each other?

A: The swim team is always supporting each other, whether it be putting on our caps for each other, or screaming our lungs out for someone during their event. You catch the whole team taking part in the spirit of the sport.

Q: How long is an average swim meet?

A: The duration of a meet depends on how many teams are competing, but they’re normally around two hours long.

Q: What was so significant about this meet?

A: This was the first home meet of the season! It kind of sets the vibe and precedent for all of the meets following it.

Q: How did this swim meet go? 

A: Scottsdale Prep beat us this time by a VERY small margin and we came in second, meaning Seton Catholic came in third. We had a school record broken by our boys 400 free relay! The boys who broke the record were Ryan Grey, Logan Sylvester, Taylor Smith, and Andrew Kang.

Congratulations to our outstanding Swim team, especially the individuals who broke the school record! Great job, Knights! Make sure to go and support Swim at their next meet on September 19th at Chandler High!