After a long build-up, MSMS swimmers finally competed in the North Half Swim Meet. The team consisted of seniors Hardy Cooke, Matthew Dunn, Michael Lu and Camille Newman and juniors Jessica Yan and Andrew Yu. The meet took place on Friday, Oct. 16 at Tupelo Aquatic Center.

Leading up to the meet, some swimmers found ways to train with each other and their coach.

“Jessica and I went to the YMCA in Columbus this week to practice for a few days so that we’re prepared for state. Coach Chris gave us a lot of things to improve upon, and we used his feedback during our practice,” Yu said.

Cooke, Dunn, Lu and Yu placed fourth in the 200 yard medley relay with a time of 2:08:15. They placed fifth in the 200 yard freestyle relay with a time of 1:54:72. They competed in the 200 yard freestyle relay, placing sixth with a time of 1:54:72. Three of the boys competed in the 50 yard freestyle, all with successful times. Yu placed seventh with a time of 24.26, while Lu placed tenth with a time of 25.30, and Cooke placed twelfth with a time of 26.41.

Yu competed in the boys 100 yard backstroke, placing second with a time of 1:06:90. Lu also competed in the 100 yard breaststroke, placing fourth with a time of 1:14:83. 

Cooke competed in the 100 yard freestyle, where he placed tenth with a time of 58.93.

Yan placed second in the 200 yard freestyle with a time of 2:09:72. In the girls 100 yard breaststroke, Yan also placed second with a time of 1:16:24, and team captain Newman placed eleventh with a time of 1:39:98. The swimmers were satisfied with their results.

“I personally felt great about my results in my events at North Half, but I’m not completely satisfied since there is always room for improvement. As long as I went into my events with a confident mindset, I will be proud of my performance,” Yan said.

Yan expressed her happiness with the team’s success. 

“I am incredibly proud and excited about how our team performed during this season,” Yan said. “Everyone did amazing at North Half, and I’m glad that most of us were able to qualify for State.”

The team is preparing for the State competition, and they are excited for the results. 

 “I look forward to our performance at State, and hopefully, we can bring back some top results,” Yan said. “I hope that at State everyone just has fun with what they are doing. In the end, I hope that we leave every bit of energy we have in the pool and to always do our best.”