By Jack Stringer

To the casual follower of the Wheat Ridge swim team, an opening meet loss seems like just that, a loss.

However, that is the opposite of what the Farmers took out of it, and if you look closer, the loss to Evergreen has many upsides to it.

For starters, Evergreen placed second in the entire state last season, and will “likely be the top Jeffco team” this season according to girls swimming coach, Dean Miller. Miller was extremely optimistic following the loss saying that he was proud of his team who he thought swam really well. “Some swimmers swam faster than they thought they would” said Miller, and the unexpected speed garnered several victories for the Farmers. Losing by one point—due to the lack of divers on Wheat Ridge’s team—to one of the top few teams in the state last season is a great accomplishment for a young team, and a huge confidence boost to the Farmers.

Senior Audrey Freeman, was equally optimistic after her team’s season kicked off. “The meet went pretty well, but Evergreen is really good, so it made it tough to win,” said Freeman after the meet. Freeman was part of a victorious relay team and also placed second, only to fab farmer freshman Erin Sweeney, in the 100m freestyle. In her first meet as a high school swimmer, Sweeney also won the 50m freestyle. Hannah Leslie, Mary Sand, and Amy Cazier also contributed to the Farmers winning several events in the opening meet of the season.

After such a slim margin separated the Farmers and a strong league opponent in Evergreen, Wheat Ridge is nothing if not hopeful. Miller realizes the difficulty of the season ahead, but thinks that his team will realistically be fighting for the top two to three spots in Jefferson County. Likewise, Freeman who, as a senior, knows what it will take to compete at such a high level for the entirety of the season. “We have lots of new girls on the team this year and they all really seem eager to be there every day,” she said. Excited for the season ahead, Freeman will pass on the torch to a great group of swimmers that she hopes will continue the success seen at the preliminary outing of the season.