On Feb. 20, the Viking swim team won the Montgomery County Championship title in a close meet.

“It was a very interesting year for Whitman because it is so rare to have such a deep group of people who really can excel in all the different types of events,” senior Jenna Mahaffie says. “We have the capability to cover a lot of ground which enabled us to succeed.”

With eight placers in the top 16, the girls side of swimming had a strong day. In the 200 freestyle relay Mahaffie, along with senior Lauren Poore, freshman Charlotte Meyer and sophomore Victoria Kuhn, came in first after being behind until the last lap. Meyer anchored and passed Walter Johnson who was a full body length ahead to steal the win.

“She came in first place by .06 seconds,” Mahaffie recalls. “It was incredible.”

Meanwhile on the boys side, the 400 freestyle relay placed second to Churchill while beating competitors such as Wooton and Walter Johnson.

The girls came in first in the county by a considerable amount, while boys placed fifth. However, as a combined score, Whitman placed first in the county, giving the Vikings the title.

“The boys had heavy competition,” says Mahaffie, “but they really came through. They got the extra points necessary to win and each one made all the difference.”

This Wednesday through Saturday, the Vikes will compete in Metropolitan Championships, where both private and public schools will compete for the D.C. Metropolitan area title.

“Without the chance of jinxing it, I think the girls have a strong chance of winning it,” Mahaffie says. “It would be the first time we’d ever capture the title, and we definitely have the potential to do it. We just need to keep swimming our strongest.”

On the boys side, Georgetown Prep is a heavy competitor, with over five titles under their belt. On the girls side, Good Council has won numerous times as well.