Girls swim triumphs against Diamond Bar

Varsity girls swim won against Diamond Bar 99-70 on their Senior Night at home on April 21. 

The Mustangs started with the 200 yard medley relay where both Walnut and Diamond Bar went neck to neck. Although it was a close tie, the Mustangs won with sophomore Violet Wood placing first. 

“I think that I raced well given my competition and was close to some of my [personal records],” Wood said. “We did a really good job, especially because our competitors from Diamond Bar are people that we know, [as] we race with them a lot. So it was good that we were able to beat them.” 

For the 200 freestyle event, freshman Vivian Zhou won first place, increasing the points for Walnut to stay ahead of Diamond Bar. In the 200 Individual Medley, the swimmers started with the backstroke. The Brahmas had a head start but Walnut’s flyer was able to secure a lead. However, several athletes faced difficulty with exhaustion or with pacing since the event requires an athlete to perform all four strokes. Despite the challenges, Walnut was able to secure the win. 

“I think the challenge for [the girls] would just be pacing themselves. But considering they improved and did better, they did a great job,” assistant swim and water polo coach Andre Flores said. 

Although Diamond Bar defeated the Mustangs in the 50 freestyle, Walnut gained momentum and won the 100 butterfly, with Zhou placing first. 

“I had a lot of fun and placed first in all of my events,” Zhou said. “I felt smooth and just glided by the others.” 

In the 100 freestyle, 500 freestyle and 200 freestyle, Diamond Bar won first place, Walnut won the last two events with Wood placing first in the 500 freestyle. 

“I felt good that I tried my best and even though I didn’t [break my personal record,] I still got the results that I wanted,” captain senior Christie Lee said. 

For the last three events, Diamond Bar placed first in the 100 backstroke and breaststroke. Freshman Alexa Tam, Woods, sophomore Ashleigh Yip and Zhou gained the victory in the final 400 freestyle relay, ending the meet 99-70. 

After the win, girls swim celebrated Senior Night with the rest of the swim teams. The ceremony and the goodies given to the seniors left a memorable mark on their last year. 

“It feels bittersweet. It feels like time went by a little fast, and I didn’t look back and just [took] the moments,” Lee said. “I’m happy that it’s ending on a good note.”