On Feb. 8th and 9th, the Millard West Swim and Dive Team competed and hosted the annual Metro Swimming Conference Meet. With the home advantage, it allowed the boys to take home a second place finish and the girls accomplishing a sixth place finish.

Sixty-six swimmers from Millard West competed in the meet. With State swimming only two weeks away, the Wildcats showcased their talents and dedication to the sport of swimming.

“Our goal was to get more swimmers qualified for state and we accomplished our goal,” head coach Jamie Bowcott said. “We had 58 season bests out of 65 possible swims at prelims so the kids really stepped up and did their job.”

Qualifying for State wasn’t the only accomplishment for the Wildcats, as several swimmers broke personal bests and even an existing school record. Sophomore Mateo Miceli set a new school record in the 200 individual medley (IM), beating the previous record by 2.52 seconds.

“When I dove in I was pretty nervous but right as I hit the water it was all fine,” Miceli said. “When I finished the race, I was shocked to see how fast I had swam and that I broke the previous record.”

Being on only his second year of varsity swimming, Miceli has broken more than one record. Holding the school best in the 100 Butterfly and Backstroke, he now adds 200 IM to that list. As if breaking the school record wasn’t enough, Miceli went on to win the 200 IM in the Metro finals.

The girl’s 200 Medley Relay brought home a fourth place finish to start Saturday morning, with the boy’s Medley ringing in a third place finish. Individual swimmers also placed securing their path to Lincoln. Senior Ana Ortman wrapped up her final Metro Conference qualifying for both the 50 meter and 100 meter Freestyle Swim.

With one school record beaten at Metro’s, the team doesn’t plan to stop there. The boy’s 400 free relay was nearly a second off from breaking the school record and they intend to drop that second during the state meet.

“We have been working really hard with high spirits,” senior Gabe Paredes said. “We are highly motivated and we believe we can break all the previous relay record. With the team’s confidence, I think anything is possible.”

In spite of the fact that swim season is coming to an end in a few short weeks, the team’s focus has not slowed down. The dedication they displayed during Metros and throughout their season, will reflect their outcome at State. Be sure to follow @MillardWestSwim for updates for the upcoming State meet on Feb. 21-23.