Seven girls and six boys from SJ23 qualified for the TAPPS 6A Division 1 Swimming Championships in San Antonio last week, showcasing impressive talent and determination. The group qualified for all six relays (three girls, three boys) and eleven individual events, demonstrating their strength across the board. The SJ23 swimmers truly excelled, achieving an astounding 80% improvement over their regional times recorded in January. 

The girls' team saw seasonal best times in the 200-yard medley relay (Lilli Gorham, Madi Sero, Valerie Cruz, Mae Davey), 200 freestyle (Anastasia Dementyev), 500 freestyle (Madi Sero and Lilli Gorham), 200 freestyle relay (Avery Howell, Monica Robles, Madi Sero, Anastasia Dementyev), 100 breaststroke (Madi Sero, Anastasia Dementyev), and the 400 freestyle relay (Lilli Gorham, Mae Davey, Monica Robles, Anastasia Dementyev).

The boys also delivered strong performances with seasonal best times in the 200 medley relay (Nathan Etheridge, Colin Ratlief, Roman Nguyen, Aidan Sarver), 50 freestyle (Nathan Etheridge, John Foreman), 200 freestyle relay (John Foreman, Colin Ratlief, Aidan Sarver, Josh Thekkekara), and the 400 freestyle relay (Nathan Etheridge, Roman Nguyen, Josh Thekkekara, John Foreman).

Adding to the excitement, Nathan Etheridge came within a hair's breadth of tying the new SJ23 record of 51.95 in the 100 freestyle, a record recently set by John Foreman at the Regional Meet just three weeks prior. This near-record performance highlights the team's continued progress and competitive spirit.