The Whitman swim and dive team showed out at the Metros competition last week. After four days of grueling competition, the boys ended up placing third and the girls ninth. 

Upon entering the Germantown Swim Center, the roar of 37 boys teams and 33 girls teams cheering on their friends and teammates echoed off of the walls. Spanning across the stands were bright banners representing each competing school.

“The energy at finals is always electric,” senior swim captain Elena Harrison said. “The pool is packed full of swimmers, coaches, parents and friends.”

Amidst the crowds, the Vikes were easily spotted cheering on teammates in their black shirts and blue body paint accessorized with spirited hats, beads and tutus.

Metros started off with the dive competitions on Wednesday, February 8th, and continued into Thursday. Each diver performed five dives in the first round and was judged on all of them. 

“I think the first dive is always the scariest,” freshman diver Kaarina Williams said. “ I feel it determines how the rest of the meet goes.” 

The divers who received high enough scores moved on to the semifinals to complete another three dives. In the final round, the divers executed three more dives for the judges.

On the boys side, junior Tynan O’Donoghue placed third and sophomore James Skipper placed fifth. For the girls, Williams finished the competition in fourth place.

On Friday, the Vikes hit the pool for the swim preliminary races, which ended up continuing into Saturday. After the preliminary races, only the top 20 fastest swimmers advanced to the finals. 

With schools coming from all over the DMV, Harrison said that metros are by far and away the most important meet each year and it’s extremely impressive that the Vikes performed so well. 

“Metros is undoubtedly the biggest meet of the high school season,” Harrison said. “Private and public high schools alike come from Maryland, DC, and even Virginia, to compete.” 

Harrison went on to place seventh in the 100 yard butterfly event and helped lead the girls team to a strong finish. 

The boys swim team also showed out at Metros. Senior Blake Conway finished third in the 100 yard backstroke event and fellow senior Kris Lawson placed second in the 50 freestyle event. The duo then went on to put up incredible relay times, winning the 200 yard medley relay and finishing fourth in the 200 yard freestyle relay. 

“I always have a blast at these meets,” Conway said. “It’s great to be able to show others all the hard work you and your [teammates] have put in behind the scenes.”

In the upcoming weeks, the Vikes will continue to compete in regional and state competitions and will look to continue their success from Metros.