It seems that the rich keep getting richer, as The Woodlands High School swim team further established its status as the top dog in the water, by taking home the gold at the UIL State Meet.
Following their phenomenal performance in Austin, this past weekend, the Highlanders Girls Swim claimed their sixth State Title with a record-breaking 300 points, while the Boys' team finished as the State Runner-Ups. The team received a proper sendoff, last Thursday, and will return to TWHS with medals in tow.
“The girls' main focus, now, is picking out the perfect State Championship ring to remember this historic season," said Head Coach Jeremy Wade. "There will be many congratulations and recognition at upcoming pep rallies. It's also worth noting that our boys' team is arguably the best we have ever had. It's all been well deserved for the team, as a whole."
After the preliminary round, it didn’t take long for TWHS to start racking up points, with first-place finishes in the Girls’ 200 Free Relay and Boys’ 200 Medley Relay.
Furthermore, the Highlanders earned silver in the Girls' 200 Medley Relay, Girls’ 500 Freestyle (Zoe Nordmann), Girls’ and Boys’ 100 Breaststroke (Evlin Riederer & Roberto Bonilla), 1m Diving (Jacob Jones), as well as bronze finishes in both the Girls’ and Boys’ 400 Free Relay, Boys’ 200 Free Relay, Boys’ 200 IM (Roberto Bonilla), Girls’ 500 Freestyle (Abigail Pope), and the Boys’ 100 Breaststroke (Tyler Tannenberger).
“So many emotions are involved in a State meet," Wade said. "It's a roller coaster. We would have things go our way, then some things would not go exactly how we wanted. But every step of the way the girls trusted each other, were there for each other, and came away with the team victory! Once the meet was over the girls were overwhelmed with joy and for me, a feeling of relief."
Following their State Title win, Coach Wade along with the Highlander Aquatic staff, and even TWHS Principal, Dr. Ted Landry, took a triumphant plunge into the pool with the team to celebrate the culmination of a spectacular season.
“It [jumping in the pool] is a tradition to celebrate with the team by taking the cold plunge," said Wade. "It's like having Gatorade dumped on your head for football coaches. But we willingly go into the cold pool to celebrate with our athletes."
Considering the success that the program has enjoyed over the years, including its most recent victory, it should come as no surprise that Coach Wade and The Woodlands will expect more of the same in the future.
"I think the team has a really bright future," he said. "We graduate some talented girls and their leadership will be missed. We had some underclassmen improve a lot this season and this year's juniors will be ready to lead this team to the State meet next year to defend the title."