If there’s one thing the Whitefish swim team is gaining this winter, it’s character. But that’s not to say there won’t be some hardware involved, too.  

“We always want them to grow as a swimmer, but even more so, we want to see development with their character,” said Coach Rachel Meyer. “That’s what I hope to see at the end.”  

Coach Ashley McDermott describes the swimmers as dedicated. They must put in the work just to get pool time to train, sharing the lanes at The Wave with Columbia Falls in the evening, finishing up close to 10 p.m. Some team members put in extra work, adding in lifting sessions or training with a club team. 

“They blow me away every year,” McDermott said.  

It’s the biggest team in several years, with 25 on the roster.  

“The kids that we have this year, have impacted our culture in a really positive way,” Meyer said.  

The team honored seven seniors at the annual Dog-Cat swim meet on Friday. The meet is a favorite because it brings the entire swim community together. 

Most of the seniors have been on the team all four years. Seniors include Ella Idleman, Hazel Beltz, Johanna Perkings, Avery Theis, Brody Morrison, Logan Hyland and Gavin Sibson.  

Thies and Sibson are ranked especially high going into the state meet and will look to finish their high school careers on a high note. 

One highlight earlier this year was the boys team breaking the 200-freestyle relay school record. 

However, one of the relay swimmers moved to Texas recently, dropping the roster from eight to seven heading into state. That means they’ll only be able to field two relay events. 

Nonetheless, it is still great progress from last year, when the boys only had three swimmers at the state meet.  

The girls have had a stellar season so far, defeating numerous Class A and AA foes.  

The state meet is Feb. 14-16 in Great Falls.