From the undefeated season for the freshman boys soccer team to the addition of a freshman on varsity cross country, freshmen have helped MHS dominate the sports scene this season. With 13 freshmen coming into varsity, girls swimming has made up the amount of spots that were lost to last year’s graduating seniors.

Eva Main is one of the eager 13 freshmen who looks forward to competing with the team this season.

“I really like it this year,” Main said. “I think it’s a really fun group and especially because there’s a lot of new freshmen this year, so I think we’re all going to get really close throughout season.”
Main is also looking forward to competing against her Parkway team members this season, as well as participating in State with her team.

“I want to go to State, definitely, like make it in an event like the 100 fly probably, and I want to be on like the relay too because I think it’s just a really fun experience to like walk out with a team for like a relay,” Main said.

Joe Schoedel, a PE teacher at Lafayette, has coached girl’s swimming for six years. Schoedel sees the integration of freshmen as an opportunity for depth within the team. Even with the addition of the 13 freshmen however, this year’s team has been noticeably smaller than years prior.

“This has always been a cut team,” Schoedel said. “Every year about 50 girls come out for the team. We simply don’t have the space or coaching staff for that large a number being a Varsity only program.”

This year’s freshmen provide hope for the team’s future success, Alyssa Lemon, junior, said.

“A lot of the incoming freshman have a lot of potential talent, and they could do really really well for us,” Lemon said. “They aren’t exactly where we were last year, but by the end of the season they could possibly be right up there with how we finished the season last year.”

Lemon is a varsity swimmer for girl’s swimming. She’s been on the team since freshman year, and has swam in State competitions every year.

“We are excited to see how they are going to do, it’s always interesting to see who they are, and meet new people,” Lemon said. “We just hope that they feel like a part of the team,we can still have that team, family atmosphere that we’ve had, years past.”