On Saturday, March 23rd, at BVN, the Girls Swim team hosted Blue Valley Northwest, Blue Valley Southwest, Blue Valley, and Blue Valley West for the Greg House Invite, their first meet of the season, while the Dive team competed at Blue Valley High. Ultimately placing third overall, the Lady Mustangs started the season strong with fast swims and a state qualifying performance from diver sophomore Carolyn Nuss. In addition to qualifying, Nuss placed second and scored 386.48 points,

With early morning practices four times a week, both swimmers and divers were excited to start the season.

“I was excited to kick off the season and get some times in place so I could begin improvement,” said freshman varsity swimmer Kirbi Kingsley. “I was ready to get the first meet out of the way because that one is usually the most stressful for me.”

From experienced competitors swimming new and unfamiliar races to new members excited to start the season, members of the team saw personal improvement and fast races across the board. Kingsley saw the prospect of personal improvement as one of the most rewarding aspects of high school swimming.

“I think one of the best parts is the personal improvement aspect,” said Kingsley. “I have fun seeing myself able to go faster and do more, and it makes the tough practices and schedule worth it for me.”

Kingsley, who swims both for the school and a club team, also noted the differences between high school swim meets and club swim meets at her first meet.

“I think one of the biggest differences, aside from the length of the meets, is the energy,” said Kingsley. “During club meets it’s generally pretty quiet, so I was surprised by how loudly everyone cheered for their teammates. It made me happy to see everyone so excited by each other’s successes.”

The Lady Mustangs will race again Thursday, March 28th, against Olathe East and Blue Valley West at Olathe East.