The Warrior swim team has been busy training for its first meet on Dec. 11 against Wilson to dive head first into the 2015 season.

With not many seniors to lead the team, the freshmen powerhouses are sure to prove themselves in the meets to come. “I think we have a good chance of beating Wilson because our team is young and we have a lot to prove,” said sophomore Caroline Diamond.

Many of the younger swimmers are cutting it close to some Olympic times, which is incredible. “We have a lot of good freshmen and in the past we’ve had a pretty good transition to 6A, but I think it’ll be even better this year. With less seniors graduating, the team will stay strong and consistent,” junior Tanner Montagriff-Peck said.

The coaching staff consists of Mollie Starr, a Madison P.E. teacher and Mark Wren, Cleveland graduate Emma Wren’s dad. Their coaching style: breaking up the team into skill levels in order to prepare for the season to come.

“I’m extremely excited to have Mark on the coaching team. He is part of Masters Swimming Club so his background is extensive in coaching and swimming. It’s really inspiring. Having Mollie [Starr] around is also good because she focuses on the lower lanes and Mark [Wren] has the upper lanes,” Diamond said.

Coming from last year where many people didn’t qualify for state, the swimmers have hopes for a good season.“With only 10 practices before our first meet, we get 40-50 kids at practice and only have four lanes. Right now, I’m just trying to get them in the water and swimming.  I think it’ll be a good, competitive meet and neither team will be quite ready with such short practice time,” Starr said.

Many swimmers have been training all year, doing club swimming for various schools and organizations, proving their dedication to the sport and how they want to improve the Warrior team. “We have a lot of club swimmers who have trained throughout the fall season, so the water is still fresh for them,” Montagriff-Peck said.

Within the athletics realm at Cleveland, there seems to be a growing number of cross country runners in the pool, both of the sports requiring a substantial amount of stamina or speed based on each event.

“I’m excited to meet new people because there’s all the different people doing different events. It really shows how much talent the team has,” Ellie Jew, freshman said.

Having swimming as a winter sport allows for the runners to work different muscles which can be beneficial to their overall health.

“Swimming tends to attract a lot of cross country runners. With a really supportive team aspect, that makes it super fun to be a part of. Being in the pool is a great way for runners to cross train and stay in shape for the track season to come,” sophomore Adam Nayak said.

With only 10 practices left until their first meet, the team will be working through their Thanksgiving feasts to get the job done.