On January 15th, the Coronado girls swim team took on long time rival Pine Creek and came away victorious, with a final score of 97-89. This brings the team’s league record to 4-1 and  their overall record to 4-2.

Performances from Lauren Grybowski, who placed first in diving and also anchored the 200 free relay that placed second, and Leanne Telle, who placed first in the 200 freestyle, helped secure the Coronado victory. “It was very special that we beat Pine Creek and everyone worked really hard to get that victory for us!” said team captain Mia Shaeffer of the meet.

It was also Mia Shaeffer’s last home meet, and as she is the team’s sole senior and their captain, the team made sure to celebrate her. “We decorated the pool and the juniors on varsity each [gave] a speech about Mia” said sophomore Elle Gray of the night’s festivities. In addition to being recognized, Shaeffer did her part to secure the team’s victory, placing second in the 50 free and first in the 100 fly by a margin of 14 seconds. She also kicked off the 200 medley relay and anchored the 400 free relay, both of which placed first.

Over the course of her swimming career, Shaeffer has contributed a lot to the team. After making varsity as a freshman and even being named MVP, Shaeffer went on to be named MVP again her sophomore and junior years and is now captain of the team. “Mia has been an amazing captain and works hard to make sure everyone is always included” said Elle Gray, adding, “she will be missed as a role model on the team and will have left a lasting mark for years to come.” Shaeffer, however, is far from finished, and plans to end her last season well, saying, “I’d like to make finals at the state meet and improve my time as well!” adding, “it would be awesome to make all of our relays back to finals at state!”

The team is now looking forward to the Colorado Springs Metro League Championships, which will take place on February 1st. “We’ve been developing our strength a lot this season and now we are starting to shift into developing more power for the end of the season” said Shaeffer of the team’s preparation. “We have a couple more weeks of work to go, then we’ll start to taper for CSML and our state meet.”