On Feb. 23 and 24, the Whitman swim and dive team competed in the Maryland 4A State Championships at the University of Maryland College Park for their final meet of the season. The dive team had first-placing individuals on both the boys’ and girls’ sides, with the boys’ swim team taking home sixth place with 133.5 points and the girls’ taking seventh with 136 points. 

The girls’ dive team started the weekend off strong. Sophomore Kaarina Williams took first place with 395.5 points to defeat Elise Pantezzi of Quince Orchard by six points. 

“I think that coming in first place is a huge feat for me,” Williams said. “It felt really good and it helped build my confidence in my abilities and gave me motivation to continue practicing and improving.”

Right behind her was sophomore Katya Peresunko, who took third place and was only 10 points from first. The duo also placed second and third just two weeks ago at Metros — a meet containing public and private schools from the Metropolitan Area.

“I think that Katya and I placing top three lays a really great foundation for Whitman Girls Dive because it seems like a goal, or a form of motivation for the future girls who join the team,” Williams said

On the boys’ side, senior Tynan O’Donoghue took first place in his final high school meet with a 40-point victory, totaling 488.20 points. Narrowly behind him was junior James Skipper, who placed third with 436.70 points. O’Donoghue will graduate this year and head to Duke University, where he will continue his diving career. He believes that Whitman Dive will continue to dominate in the future, he said.

Two weeks ago, O’Donoghue ​won Metros, and these two commanding wins capped off his accomplished Whitman dive career on a massive high. 

“It felt great to end off my high school diving career with a win at states but sad to be leaving the team I love so much,” said O’Donoghue. “However, I’m excited to put a new foot forward and begin my college diving career this fall.”

The boys’ swim team went into this year’s competition after winning last year’s competition and setting multiple Maryland records. The most impressive result from the weekend came from junior Casper Svensson, who took fourth place in the 200-yard freestyle with a time of 1:42.75, giving the team 15 points. Just behind him was fellow junior Charlie Conroy, who notched sixth with 1:45.22, winning 13 points. The duo continued their success in the 500-yard freestyle, with Svensson coming in sixth with a 4:43.02, recording 13 points, and Conroy coming in seventh with a time of 4:44.25, earning 12 points. Staying with freestyle, junior Luca Nociti Kantovitz tied for seventh place in the high-speed 50-yard freestyle, recording a time of 22.02, granting the team 11.5 points. 

Finally, the 400-yard freestyle relay team composed of Svensson, Conroy, Kantovitz and sophomore Kyle Chen took sixth place with a time of 3:13.07 and gave the boys 26 points, the most of the day. Overall, the boys had a strong outing after losing seven out of their 10 state swimmers from a year prior. 

“Having 70% of our state’s squad age out, we knew we weren’t going to win this year,”  Conroy said, “but we went into it with a team-based mindset, just trying to do the best, and looking forward to next year.”

Junior Krissy Fleck had the most impressive outing for the girls’ team, taking fifth place in the 100-yard breaststroke with a 1:06.76 time, earning 14 points. Right behind her was sophomore Julie Yang, who took eighth place and scored 11 points for the Vikes. Fleck kept it going with a sixth-place finish in the 200-yard individual medley. Fleck had a time of 2:10.82 and gave the team 13 points. Freshman Caitlin Groves came in close behind, notching eighth place, recording a 2:13.08 time and achieving 11 points. Finally, the Vikes competed in the 200-yard freestyle relay. The team, composed of Yang, freshman Penelope Belknap, sophomore Rebecca Thatch and junior Chloe Green, took sixth place with a time of 1:41.94 and won 26 points. 

With body paint, flags, spirit and weekly-themed outfits, the swim and dive team never failed to show off their tight bond throughout the season.

“At the end of the day, it truly is a family. I wouldn’t trade Whitman swim and dive for anything,” Conroy said. “These people have been my brothers and sisters.”