As the winter swim season came to a close, Poolesville proved to be triumphant as both the girls and boys swim teams won the Maryland 1A/2A/3A swim championships on Feb. 22. The 2020 championship win was the boys’ ninth state title, and was the girls’ seventh state title; both teams beat second place Damascus by more than 50 points. The boys finished with 374 points, winning by a margin of 115 points, whereas the girls came out on top with 338.5 points, winning by 58.5. Both teams won every relay event, which came with 40 points for a first place win compared to 20 points for a first place win in an individual event. 

As with any high school sport, there is team turnover every season as seniors graduate and freshmen come in. No matter what grade swimmers are, each has a role on the team and the fastest swimmers compete at states. The states lineup included four freshmen on the girls’ side, including Anna Li, Lina Abzakh, Maggie Rose Rook, and Avery Ye. Abzakh said that everyone on the team played the same role when it came to racing, everyone just needed to swim fast and try to beat their times. Abzakh went on to describe the team dynamic and how older team members interacted with the younger ones. 

Abzakh said, “The senior captains direct the underclassmen, like myself, how to manage our time at meets. For example, my event will be soon and I will ask a senior when and how I should warm up.”

As the entire swim team practices together, regardless of gender, age, or varsity status, younger swimmers like Abzakh have equal opportunities to succeed as well as interact with the older swimmers.

Senior captain Moshelle Borjigin has swam in the states meet all four years of high school, and won every event she swam at states this year. Over her four years at Poolesville, Borjigin said that the team has shifted from a female-dominated team to a male-dominated team as the new swimmers on the boys side have added a lot of speed and depth. With the team changing every year, Borjigin said that the younger swimmers are constantly called upon to step up and fill the shoes of their predecessors, and everyone hopes to make the team stronger. She also spoke to the idea of how the annual change in the team has helped her stay focused on the present. 

“The nature of the turnover is one that every swimmer keeps in mind throughout the season. Personally, it reminds me that each year is different and that I should strive for the best performance I can because next year’s improvement or a repeat of the present can never be guaranteed” Borjigin said. 

Poolesville High School’s swim and dive team has been successful regardless of team turnover, and consistently adds talented swimmers to their roster that have enabled them to win multiple championships over the last decade.