The Penn High School swimming and diving teams put on an impressive performance Tuesday. Dec. 17, securing victories over Elkhart High School in both the boys’ and girls’ competitions.
The girls’ team outscored Elkhart 152-33, showing the Penn spirit across multiple events. The boys’ team followed with a strong 135-41 win.
Key highlights from the meet included the girls’ 200-yard freestyle relay team taking first place with a time of 3:57, and standout performances by Molly Schuman and Caroline Ball, who excelled in their events. Schuman’s 1:08.90 in the 200-yard freestyle and Ball’s 25.76 in the 50-yard freestyle were among the many first-place finishes for the Kingsmen.
On the boys’ side, freshman Sawyer Wells made an incredible time of 22.61 in the 50-yard freestyle, while junior Leo Ni impressed with a 1:00.91 in the 100-yard breaststroke. The 400-yard freestyle relay team ended the evening with a dominating victory, with a time of 3:31.46.
Penn’s diving team added to the night’s success with exceptional performances. Junior Omar Zidan scored a meet-best 158.90 on the boys’ side, with highlights including an amazing forward somersault tuck, which earned scores of 5.5, 6, and 6.5 from the judges. Catalina Martinez-Gil led the way on the girls’ side with 205.00 points, excelling with a reverse somersault one-and-a-half tuck, scoring 6, 7, and 7, as well as an inward dive hike which scored 6, 6.5, and 7. Bella’s consistent scores on her back somersault (6, 6, 6) and Kaitlyn’s solid execution of a back somersault half twist (5.5, 5.5, 5.5) showcased Penn’s talent.
“I feel like we did really well. We immediately got a really nice lead right off the bat,” Jamari Anderson, a swim and dive competitor for Penn, said.
