Last Saturday, the Lady Crusaders swam in their annual Invitational meet. After an intense season, this meet was a huge success for St. Dominic, with several swimmers racing in exceptional time and securing a chance to compete at the state competition.

This is Coach Luetkemeyer’s first year at St. Dominic as well as her first year coaching the swim team. Even though she has not had prior experience coaching, she is a natural leader and really enjoys being part of the team.

“My biggest takeaway from coaching my first invitational is that it takes a lot of prep work to make sure we are successful in those big meets. It goes to show that all of the hard work you put in, can truly make a difference in the outcome!” Coach Luektemeyer said.

Under Coach Luetkemeyer’s guidance, several girls on the swim team were able to achieve State consideration time, meaning they are eligible to compete at the State level. Junior Sydney Pickett and seniors Elise Newman, Elise Gerstenecker and Caroline Cunningham qualified as a relay team in the 400 freestyle relay. Pickett got State time for her speed in the 500 freestyle event!

“I felt like personally, I did better this year than I have in years past. I am really looking forward to State and continuing to swim with my relay group,” Newman said.

Our upperclassmen were not the only members of the swim team to do well at the Invitational. Sophomore Claire Cunningham and freshmen Peyton Webb, Emma Gagnepain and Delaney Quinn also won medals in the Junior Varsity 400 freestyle relay race.

“I prefer swimming in relays because individual events can be stressful, but when I swim in relays, we can cheer each other on and rely on each other to do well,” Claire Cunningham said.

Placing so high is especially impressive given that there were 11 teams competing in the Invitational and several heats for each event. Despite the tough competition, our Crusaders swam well, making sure their hard work paid off.

“I am so extremely proud of the whole team for all of the hard work they put into the Invitational on Saturday! It is all of them that make my job as a coach worthwhile!” Coach Luetkemeyer concluded.

Be sure to support our Crusader swim girls as they continue towards a historic state run.