De Soto High School has sent many of its sports teams to State this year. The newest qualifiers are those on the girls’ swim team. Despite a year full of uncertainty, this dedicated team is doing all they can to bring their best to the competition.

  The team is implementing new techniques during practice to set them up for success, including a focus on the State qualifiers and a method called tapering.

“Usually the practices are harder because the people who qualified are the only ones there, so the coach focuses on them,” said junior swim team member Josephine Butler, “We start tapering, which is where the practice gets easier to prepare for State.”

In most sports, the whole team goes to compete at State. For swimming, only a select few get the opportunity to do so. 

“We have two relay teams going and each has four girls, and then we have a couple girls who qualified for individual events,” Butler said.

These individuals are freshman Taya Swarts and seniors Lynlee Hutchison, Liz Schottler and Nicole Schottler. There are also seven alternates for the relays in case someone is unable to swim for an event.

Hutchison, Swarts and the Schottlers will be competing in the relay events. Liz and Swarts will be competing in the individual events, but the others’ qualifications have not yet been determined.

As a three year member of the girls’ swim team, Butler believes that overall, the team has been very successful this year. 

“I think the season went really well this year,” Butler said. “I don’t think there’s anything that really needs to change for next year, I think we should just keep working hard like we did this year.”

The girls’ swim team has shown true perseverance in a year full of doubt. The qualifiers will head to State in Topeka on May 22, and the seniors will be joining them directly after their graduation ceremony.