Powering through the water and conquering meets, the Boys Swim Team continues to ride an undefeated wave.

The Boys Swim Team has remained undefeated throughout the first half of their winter season. While taking on district and state qualifying times, from multiple swimmers, the swimming cougars continue to make a splash this season.

Head coach, Cherie Adair, has been coaching swim for 26 years and coaching for Kettle Run for the past three seasons. Earlier this season, she announced that this would be her last year coaching high school swim.

“My love for swimming left me feeling like I still had more to do after college,” Adair said. “My goal is to develop the same love and passion for the sport as I had. This is my third and final year with Kettle Run High School. I have loved working with high school team, but there comes a time when all good things must end. I am looking forward to more time with my family.”

Captain of the girls team, Grace Swift, has been swimming for the high school team since her freshman year, and has been competitively swimming since she was twelve.

“I feel pretty great about this season,” Swift said. “The team has a great morale and we’ve really been working together to do our best. I honestly love how much we bond with each other. We are such a close-knit group, and I really enjoy spending my time with my teammates.”

The Dec. 15 swim meet against Sherando High School proved well for the Kettle Run swimmers. Both boys and girls teams were announced to have won, bringing home two trophies. It was announced the following Monday that the girls team lost the meet to Sherando girls swimming by 2.5 points. The miss count leaves the girls team standing with one loss and two wins, while the boys team remains undefeated.

“My expectations are big and I’m hoping the team raises their expectations to mine,” Adair said.  “I believe we can with Districts for BOTH boys and girls teams. For Regionals, I see our boys being Top 3 and Girls being Top 4 this year. For States, my expectations are high again. I’m looking for a few Top 3 individual event finishers.”

Boys’ captain, Zach Knight, has been on the team since his freshman year.

“I am super proud of the team and all the world they have put in,” Knight said. “As well as how they cheer each other on as a team.”

Through tough races, exhausting dryland exercises coupled with taxing practices, and cold winter weather, the swim team will continue to work on keeping a successful season.

The swimming cougars are a very determined group of athletes.

They train in a facility that has ice on the walls on the coldest days and the coaches are on deck in layers with hats and gloves. Swimming is a tough sport and not meant for the weak-minded.