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Varsity swimming beat Miramonte on April 21. The seniors on both squads were honored before competition began.

“[Losing the seniors] is tough with every class, but with coaching high school it’s the inevitable,” said varsity coach John Studebaker. “You’re going to have kids who leave every year. You have to move on and get ready for the next group, because there is always a next group. It’s a combination of happiness for them and sadness for us. They have been on the team for 4 years, so it’s mixed emotions. Some of the kids I’ve known since they were 4 or 5 years old, and now they’re going to college.”

Senior Genevieve O’Brien, a 4 year Cougar swimming veteran, will be attending Linfield College in the fall.  She was excited to be recognized before the meet. “I think it’s such a special event because we commemorate the seniors for their 4 years. It’s always been a special thing that I’ve looked forward to during my 4 years,” O’Brien said. “I was little worried that I would trip while running through the tunnel, but I didn’t at the end.”

Studebaker enjoys the enduring connections he has forged with many of his former athletes. “I keep in touch with a lot of the seniors who come back. They stop by when they’re back from college, and a lot of them still text, or I see them in the summer while coaching,” he said.

Senior Jolen Griffen, who will attend UC Santa Barbara in the fall, like O’Brien, had been anticipating the senior recognition since he first began his high school swimming career. “From freshmen year all the way to junior year, seeing all the seniors get honored for their senior walk-out was such a cool thing to watch. Actually doing it was really cool, but at the same time you’re like ‘Wow, this is your last year doing this on Campolindo swimming.’ It’s such an amazing program. It was a strange feeling being there, and not just watching,” he said.

While the senior ceremony was a nice way to kick off the meet, Campolindo athletes also enjoyed sweeping all 4 divisions agains their rivals.

“I think we did really well against Miramonte. I thought it would be much closer with the competition, but it ended up being we took care of our end,” said Studebaker. “It was a great meet. I think we’re getting better at cheering, but we still need to have more people that are just always down by the end of the pool.”

“I swam the 50 Freestyle and the 100 Freestyle and I did well,” said O’Brien. “Miramonte is a very good competitor, but overall I did well.”

Griffen congratulated his relays teams on proving their worth. “I won the 100 Butterfly, and our relays did really, really well. Our B Relay beat the Miramonte A Relay. That was really entertaining to watch,” Griffen said. “He [Studebaker] was pretty happy with everyone’s swims.”

O’Brien credits the Campolindo swim program for preparing her to compete collegiately. “I think it has prepared me well because the coaches do a good job giving us sets that are realistic, but still challenge you at the same time. I do believe that Campolindo has prepared me well for swimming in college,” she said.

Griffen appreciates the camaraderie that Campolindo swim has taught him. “Campolindo swim is all about being for the team, and in college I definitely need to be there and support the team,” he said. “That’s what Campolindo swim has taught me to do.”

With the end of the JV season right around the corner, Campolindo’s varsity team has been preparing for bigger meets. “We’re getting ready for our JV invitational this Sunday, and then the JV kids are done,” said Studebaker. “Then we have a week for varsity, then we have North Coast and State coming up. We’re just getting ready for the championship runs.”