The Republic girls swim team won’t find out until Sunday whether it has qualified for a spot in the state championship meet at St. Peters. But no matter what happens when the championship lists are released, coach Steve Boyce said this has been a year of great progress for the Republic program.
“We had a nice group of girls this year. What they did as a progression this year was just amazing,” Boyce said. “I think next year, we’re putting a bunch of relay girls in at State.”
The top 32 swimmers or relay teams qualify for State in each event, and Republic was fast enough in the 200-yard and 400-yard freestyle relay to be considered. The field of 32 can change, depending on whether some swimmers have qualified in more events than they can enter. Even if Republic doesn’t catch enough breaks to enter the top 32 this year, Boyce said it doesn’t take away from what they’ve accomplished.
“At the beginning of the year, we were a long ways from even getting on the list,” Boyce said. “We’ve got a group of girls who wanted to work hard and were performing for each other and gave it incredible amounts in their racing skill, by leaps and bounds,” he said of their season finish. “You want to peak at the end of the season, and they sure did.”
Aubree Tinsley helped lead the way as a freshman, turning in some of the team’s fastest times. “She set a tone for what it meant to race hard,” Boyce said.
Boyce also pointed to Addison Penney as another team leader, saying she “did a fantastic job in practice every day for setting the tone for how to train hard.”
Whether the Lady Tigers have anyone competing in St. Peters this year, Boyce said he is looking forward to what’s coming.
“We’re seeing it building among these girls. They got it all figured out at the end of the season, which is really exciting for the future.”