The Fort Hamilton Girls Varsity Swim Team led a promising season. Facing off against established and accomplished schools, the team put up scores that carried them through the second playoffs. They ended with a record of 8-2, which ranked them second overall in the Brooklyn I Division.
The girls started the season with trepidation without a diver on the team, which put them at a disadvantage against certain teams. Nevertheless, they contended with the odds and went ahead, scoring an impressive 41-20 against HS Telecommunications Arts & Technology for their first game. They later continued this win streak for the following two games, before suffering their first loss against Brooklyn Tech.
Junior Captain Abigail Hom recognized the strength of the competition they were up against.
“They are the fastest team we competed against, and they are ranked second in the city,” Hom said.
Hom, along with Junior Captain Cheri Huang and senior captains Olivia Wong and Vasiliky Economakos, responded with optimism and pluck.
“After we lost to Brooklyn Tech twice, I feel that the team pushed themselves even harder at practice. Although we still didn’t beat them the second time I feel that everyone was more encouraged to work even harder,” Hom said.
The team had continued to prove themselves against other schools in the city, winning enough matches to qualify for playoffs. They faced off against Townsend Harris, in a game that ended in a 53-41 win, which pushed them to the second round. This groundbreaking moment for the team, allowed them to advance farther than they had ever done before.
Unfortunately, they were eliminated after contending with Stuyvesant High School. Still, it was a meaningful moment for the team.
“I thought that we had a pretty solid season, it could have been better, but it was pretty solid,” swimmer Norah McKee said.
When discussing the future of the team, there seemed to be a general consensus that next season is promising.
“I think the next season will be even better because we will have around the same girls, meaning the same strong team chemistry, and commitment to working hard during the season,” Hom said. “My expectations for next year will be set even higher because we always aim to improve as a team.”
McKee echoed the sentiment and complimented the new additions to the team.
“The freshmen are really good,” she said, pointing out how they helped improve the team and progress. “I think that it’s overall going to be a good season.”
