Despite its efforts, Park came up short in its attempt at beating Benilde Sept. 14. In light of the defeat, sophomore Mae Turman said the team started off slow but kept fighting as the meet went on. 

“The beginning was a little rough. The coaches then gave us a pep talk, and the rest of the meet we did really well,” Turman said. “We really kicked some energy into the way we swam.”

Junior CC Peters said in anticipation for the meet, the team not only focused on the physical aspects but also the mental elements.

“When we prepare for a meet like today, there’s a lot of stuff we practice. Whether it’s physical or mental we always try our best to do our best,” Peters said.

According to head coach Amanda Forsberg, despite the pressure of playing a rival, many new swimmers performed well.

“Benilde’s always a tough meet, it’s our closest rival, and they even compete and train in our junior high pool so there’s always high emotion,” Forsberg said. “Our younger swimmers had some great races, overall I’m really happy with how they did.”

Turman said the team has a lot of room for improvement concerning techniques that could help shave time during meets.

“We need to work on faster turnovers and reps. Working on those things will definitely bring us farther,” Turman said.

According to Forsberg, while she has been satisfied with the team’s performance so far this season, she feels as if it hasn’t reached its full potential.

“The team isn’t doing bad, I’m even happy with it, though there’s places we need to reach and have the ability to reach.”

The next girls’ swim meet is against South Minneapolis at 10 a.m. Sept. 18 at the University of Minnesota Aquatic Center.