The smell of chlorine hangs in the air as the swimmers stand on the diving blocks. A whistle blows and they all bend down in ready position. An official clicks a button, sounding a loud beep. The swimmings push off the blocks in a dive. The race has begun.

On Oct. 25, the swim team competed in the AISD Swim Invitational. Overall, the girls team took second place and the boys team came in eleventh. According to junior Lauren Lucas, it’s a privilege to have the opportunity to swim at the Lee and Joe Jamail Texas Swimming Center  located at the University of Texas at Austin, where the meet took place.

“A lot of history has been made at the UT pool, so it’s cool that we got a chance to race there,” Lucas said. “It’s also where the state meet is held. My goal this year is to make it to state, and I think our team has some great momentum going into championship sheats, coming off of our second place finish at AISD.”

Lucas placed first in the 50 yard freestyle and second in the 200 yard freestyle.

“I ended up with a personal best as I led off the 400 freestyle relay, which I was really happy with,” Lucas said. “My favorite stroke is freestyle, though secretly I’ve always wanted to be a butterflyer. It’s so majestic.”

As one of the captains on the swim team, senior Juliette Yonezawa has a responsibility to foster team spirit and sportsmanship on the team.

“I encourage the team to cheer each other on and support each other in individual races,” Yonezawa said. “The relays also give the team a chance to work together towards a common goal. We also love being able to see each other grow and improve through the sport. [I want] everyone to be proud of what they have accomplished this season.”

Yonezawa swam in the 200 yard individual medley and the 100 yard breaststroke.

“[To prepare for a meet] I practice continuously and eat pasta,” Yonezawa said. “[At the meet], I warm up before each race and listen to music to pump myself up. I like to be alone before my race to think and visualize.”

Freshman Lily Pope has enjoyed her first year on the swim team, she said. Pope competed in the 100 yard freestyle and the 200 yard individual medley.

“The UT pool is colder and a lot deeper than most pools which is good because it makes you swim faster,” Pope said. “I did okay at the meet. I had a time drop in the 100 yard freestyle but I feel like I could’ve done better in the 200 yard individual medley.”

This year, Pope’s goal is to improve her times and swim longer and harder in races.

“My favorite stroke is butterfly because I do the best in that stroke,” Pope said. “I feel like [butterfly] can test how [your ability] to convince yourself to keep going. The hardest part of swimming is convincing yourself to stay strong and keep pushing during a hard race [when] everything is tired.

Martinez says that consistency is the hardest part of swimming.

“It’s a lot of cold early mornings,” captain and senior Noah Marinez said. “If you miss even just one day you can feel off and be set back a significant amount.”

Lucas also swam in the 400 freestyle relay and the 200 freestyle relay.

“The success of the individual in swimming depends on the team and the success of the team depends on the individual,” Lucas said. “In relays especially, that team energy kind of culminates and brings us together, since we’re racing as a collective.”

The swim team will compete in the Bob Stallings Aggieland Invitational on Nov. 9.