We are the champions (again)!!!

Congratulations to the men for winning their fourth consecutive Liberty District Championship last night. You did a great job of avenging your one and only regular season loss with a convincing win over some very strong teams. Congratulations also go out to the ladies for a very strong third-place finish. Despite the chaotic schedule due to snow everyone performed better than we could have hoped. Seemingly every event featured someone who was either dropping time or sneaking into the points. Way to go Warhawks!!

With so many great swims it is impossible to choose a single athlete of the week. So in recognition of such a strong team performance the athletes of the week are the entire men's and women's teams. Having said that, there were a few swimmers who deserve special recognition:

1. Evan Owens -- Evan won both of his individual events (50 free and 100 breast). He was also a key member of the second-place 200 medley relay and first-place 200 freestyle relay. As captain of the team, Evan provided leadership both on deck and in the pool.
2. Danny Mittel -- Once the team manager, Danny emerged this week as one of the top athletes in the Liberty District. Danny's two second-place finishes in the 50 free and 100 butterfly earned him First Team All-District honors.
3. Laura Kellan -- Laura posted her best times of the season in her events. She also provided valuable leadership and motivation to both the 200 medley and 400 freestyle relays. Both relays qualified for regions with an eye toward states.
4. Olivia Orr -- Olivia approached her last high school swim with gritty determination. Her decision to sprint her 500 freestyle resulted in a 15 second time drop and her first-ever sub 6:00.00 time.Olivia scored unexpected points in the 500 and nearly did the same in the 200 IM.
5. Justine Orr -- Justine took to heart the famous song, "Anything You Can Do I Can Do Better" by following Olivia's 500 swim with an 11-second time drop of her own. 

The list could go on and on. Please know that all of your contributions helped add to a really magical night. It's now time to get ready for regions where several swimmers and divers are scheduled to compete. Both the men's and women's teams have an opportunity to place highly and demonstrate once again just how strong a program we have here at Madison.