Coronado’s Girls Swim and Dive 2025-2026 season is coming to an end with many accomplishments and triumphs to celebrate and remember. The Swim season officially started on November 17, 2025, and now it ends by celebrating our state team: Zoe Harris, 10, Emelia Lommel, 12, Emery Meares, 12, Maysen Shultz, 09, Bailey Green, 09, and Isabel Perez Viruet, 12.

The team welcomed a new head coach this year, Rachel Leach, who was the team’s assistant coach last year and is a math teacher at Holmes Middle School. She has 16 years of competitive swimming experience, growing up in the pool with parents who were both swimmers and water polo players. She swam 14 years of year-round club, as well as being on high school and collegiate teams. She has been a coach at two prior high schools before Coronado, but when she came to Coronado she was, “impressed with the culture and the positive environment and the leadership that [previous] head coach Nate Holm had.”

As head coach, Leach wanted to make some adjustments to the team’s routine: “When I became head coach, one of the biggest things I wanted to change was to include dry-land at the beginning of practice, frequently change the lane rosters, and have more leadership,” she shared. She created a more inclusive environment within the pool, strengthened stamina and resilience with her dryland routines, and offered more support with 2 senior, and 1 junior team captains.

When asked for the highlights of the season, Leach responded, “We soared through this season and won so many more dual meets than in past years. We brought back girls at the Cheyenne Mountain Invitational, swam our hearts out at Hornet, and nearly won the League Championship.”

Coach Leach has been waiting for this opportunity for years, and is very proud of herself for accomplishing it. She explained, “I knew deep down that one day I would teach so I could coach, and I’m beyond grateful to have that opportunity.” While also providing some wisdom, she shared she frequently thinks of this quote: “If you weren’t ready, you wouldn’t have the opportunity.”

Emelia Lommel, 12, had an amazing season, becoming a senior captain with Taytum Pinyard, 12, making a state cut, and continuing to earn the respect of everyone around her. She is, “very proud of the team for coming together towards the end of the season with no drama and making the team into a family.” Coach Leach said, “Watching Emelia Lommel get the state cut in the 100 breaststroke was absolutely amazing. She has worked exceptionally hard the last 2 years since I’ve known her, improving her breaststroke, and to achieve a state cut is absolutely amazing.”

Emery Meares, 12, shared she is “proud of the team because everyone has worked hard to get to where we are right now,” and is also excited to go to state for the 200 Medley Relay, 200 Freestyle Relay, and 400 Freestyle Relay.

Sophia Robnett, 12, got a shout out, “for hitting an amazing PR at a recent meet and [being] an important leader for the team,” along with Skylar Corbett, 11, “who just learned to dive this year and has quickly picked up the sport, becoming one of our highest point earners in dive.”

For the rest of the team not going to state, the season is now officially over. Many of our athletes are looking forward to spring sports, some looking forward to summer swim, and the underclassmen excited for another wonderful swim season next winter. However, not every swimmer will be returning. A massive shoutout is in order to all seniors graduating this year.  Some will be moving into the collegiate level and others are just grateful for the wonderful experience and happy memories of high school swim. To finish her interview, Coach Leach said, “There is so much to celebrate, and so much to be thankful for.” Congrats on another amazing season, Cougars!