Arcadia Co-Ed Swim did a stellar job this season. With tough competition and fast swimmers all across the Pacific League, our Apaches have been competing to the best of their ability all season long. The swimmers ended their season by competing in the Pacific League Prelims on Apr. 30 and the Pacific League Finals on May 2.

Co-Captain junior Chelsea Ah-Quah said that the team “performed amazingly at [the] 2018 Pacific League Meet as a whole.” Not only that, but almost all of the 70 swimmers “advanced from the Prelims to return to Burbank to swim again in the final heat in their events.” Senior Jonathan Yeh added, “The energy and participation was really great, and everyone was getting better times than the previous meet.” In such a successful final round, with many AHS swimmers swimming their fastest times and earning a plethora of personal records, our Apaches finished the league second only to Crescenta Valley High School (CVHS), our all-time rival.

When asking sophomore Katrina Lee on her performance at the Pacific League Meet, she commented, “I did pretty well and I was able to make championship finals for all my events. The team really pulled together and swam their hardest at finals.” The hard work and grit that Katrina had put into every practice finally paid off, and it was definitely worth it, as she was able to qualify for the championship finals for her respective events. When in the water, Katrina noted, “I try to not think about too many things. I like to focus on my technique and really make sure I am giving it my best.”

Senior Hanson Truong also discussed his performance at the Pacific Prelims and noted, “I didn’t swim all that well. In fact, I swam slower than usual but that was expected because of the freezing weather and conditions. Your muscles are exhausted from trying to keep you warm, so everyone is slow.” With ice cold conditions at the Prelims, our Apaches were pulled down by many obstacles, but that didn’t stop them.

Through all the intense swimming, one relay team stood out the most. The 200 meter girls’ medley relay team, consisting of Chelsea, junior Melissa Liu, sophomore Michelle Tan, and senior Cindy Huang, swam their hearts out the day of the Pacific League Meet. With so much on the line, Chelsea reminisced that the team managed to “out touch CV’s team and win a lot of points for Arcadia.”
Besides swimming, however, Chelsea also commented on how amazing her team was as a whole. She mentioned, “While the 200 medley relay team were on the blocks, our entire team stood on the other side of the pool ready to cheer for us. Being a part of and watching events like these are really exciting because the energy is at its highest.” Experiences like these in which everyone is cheering on their team is what makes them into memories. Chelsea continued by passionately noting that “You could honestly feel the Apaches’ pride and spirit radiating off each swimmer, and that is really what our swim team is all about.

League, being the last swim meet for most swimmers, represents the culmination of all the dedication and hardwork we have put in over the past few months. It is a beautiful thing to watch freshmen and seniors alike uniting behind the blocks to cheer for one another. The times, friendships, and memories we have made are unforgettable and I am so proud of my team for all we have accomplished at League this season.” Well-said, Chelsea, and congratulations once again on your amazing season, CoEd Swim!

Photo by ARCADIA UNIFIED