On Friday, January 13, 2023, the East swim and dive girls brought home a win in the Millard North Invite. Competing against 11 other schools, the East girls dominated the competition and won their first meet of the season.

The divers started the meet off strong, with Kate Evans, who finished 4th place, Mira Johnson (6), and Sophia Roberts (7) scoring a combined total of 27 points for the girls team. All three of these divers also qualified for state individually by scoring over 300 points.

Kicking off the swimming section, East had many girls scoring points in all of the events: the 200 medley relay, 200 freestyle, 200 Individual medley, and the 50 freestyle. In the first event of the evening, the 200 medley relay, East finished second with multiple top 8 finishes that followed in the individual events. Some of these finishers included Avari Wischhof (1), Kate Ost (3), Savannah Denker (4), and Claire Weibye (6) in the 200 freestyle. Avery Smith, 4th in the 200 Individual medley, and Ashlea Johnson, 4th in the 50 freestyle were some other top 8 finishers for the Spartans. Even this early in the meet, the Spartan girls were pulling ahead with a 47.5 point lead and a total of 118 points.

Going into the second section of the meet, the momentum continued for Lincoln East. The Spartans gained an even bigger lead, with 220 points total, and 51.5 points ahead of the next team, Millard North.

The Spartans finished the meet out with lots of close races and outstanding finishes. East had 3 girls finish top 8 in the 100 backstroke, including Lily Nielsen (3), Mia Nielsen (5) and Avery Smith (7) which helped score some final points. In the last race of the evening, East had a major win in the 400 freestyle relay which secured their top team score.

“This is a good accomplishment for us,” Tatum Lewis, sophomore, said. “Everyone really just put in their all for this meet and even though there’s a lot of tough competition, we did it.”

While the Lincoln East boys team have had their fair share of wins, this was a first for the girls team this season.

“When we got our hands on the plaque, it was just such a fun thing,” Landry Hoesing, sophomore, said.

While this was definitely a turning point for the season, it won’t be the last time these Spartan girls are competing for top spots. Only a month away from the NSAA State Championship on February 24-25, 2024, these ladies continue to push through until the end of the season.