Standing on the top of the podium, senior Ella Mongenel waits to receive her gold medal. As the medal gets draped around her neck, she poses for pictures with a broad smile on her face. She holds up a T-Wolf hand sign as her name is called as the winner.

Mongenel and 11 other CPHS swimmers competed at the UIL state meet on Feb. 21 and 22. The girls placed fourth overall as a team at the meet, after winning regionals and districts.

“[Advancing to state] was a big accomplishment,” junior Addie Vogan said. “Last year, we didn’t have as many swimmers going to state. We only had relays. Having so many individual swimmers advance was a big deal.”

Four relay teams advanced to the state meet. The girls 200 medley relay, 400 freestyle relay and 200 freestyle relay competed at state along with the boys 200 medley relay team. The girls 200 medley relay and 400 freestyle relay advanced to the top heat in finals, placing sixth and fourth respectively. 

“[Relays] are very exciting,” Vogan, who competed in the 200 medley relay and 400 freestyle relay, said. “Everyone’s energy is very high, and it’s definitely super hype. Relays are definitely different from individual races. They require a lot of teamwork.”

The girls 400 relay which was swam by Vogan, Mongenel, junior Lauren Lucas and freshman Evelyn Richards, broke the school record for the event.

“[Breaking the record] was a big deal,” Vogan said. “We had broken the record earlier this year, but we dropped another couple of seconds. It was exciting.”

Three individual swimmers advanced to the state meet–Mongenel, Lucas and sophomore Kaden Padilla. Padilla swam the boys 500 freestyle, advancing to the consolation finals. He placed 10th overall and second in the consolation heat at finals, dropping two seconds in the swim.

“My family was there, so being able to drop time for them was really special,” Padilla said. “It was awesome [finding out I advanced to the consolation finals]. I wasn’t expecting it, and I was very surprised. My parents being there definitely made me a lot happier knowing they got to see me swim in finals.”

Mongenel placed first overall in the 50 freestyle and second in the 100 freestyle. She broke her own school record in the 100 freestyle. She also swam in two relays, advancing to finals in both.

“[Medaling in two events] was such a great feeling,” Mongenel said. “I was very proud of myself to be able to do that. It feels great to still be improving. It proved to myself that all the hard work I put in helped to put everything together for a great time. Swimming in the finals is always a nerve-wracking experience, but it was super fun and exciting for it to be my last time racing at state. Being a senior makes these last races so much more meaningful knowing that I won’t get an opportunity like this again. I just tried my best to make the most of it.”

Lucas advanced to state in the 200 freestyle and 500 freestyle, in addition to two relays. She advanced to finals in both events and placed third in the 200 freestyle and sixth in the 500 freestyle, breaking her own school record in the latter.

“[Advancing to state was] very rewarding,” Lucas said. “It was a long season of intense training, and championship season is what it’s all for. Finding out I advanced to finals in my two events took some of that stress off of me, knowing that I already qualified so I could just focus on my final events.”

Mongenel swam for the school team in 2023, heavily contributing to the girls’ state championship that year with a first place finish in the 50 freestyle and second place in the 100 freestyle. She didn’t swim for the school team last year though, choosing to focus on her club team, Nitro Swimming. 

“Winning the state championship my sophomore year was very fun and very exciting,” Mongenel said. “It definitely wasn’t expected but the vibes were good. Placing fourth this year was great. The energy at state is unmatched. There are so many great swimmers and people that come to cheer. It definitely motivates you to swim faster. ”

Mongenel is committed to swim at the University of Texas at Austin, which was the same pool that the meet was held at. She said that the meet was bittersweet because it was her last time swimming as a high schooler for the school team. 

“[Swimming at the UT pool] was honestly such a full-circle moment,” Mongenel said. “It felt rewarding to end my last high school meet swimming at UT’s pool. Knowing I’ll be swimming at the same pool next year for college made it even more exciting and motivating. It’s such a surreal feeling knowing that it’s the end of a chapter. It’s sad knowing that I won’t be with this same great team anymore, but I’m very excited to move on to the next chapter of my life and looking forward to what’s next.”