The Wildcats 2023 season was one to remember. The swim team has been dominant in every aspect of the game. The team has a lot of young talent that will only keep improving. The Freshman, the class of 2026 has really shown their talent. Freshman Sydney Schoeck has been unreal. In Schoek’s first highschool season at Westminster, she has already broken 3 individual records. Schoek now holds the record in 100 back, 200 IM, and 100 Free. On top of those 3 records she was a part of the 4 girls who broke the 200 Medley Relay. Sydney continues to improve on her times each meet. Sydney has also recorded a time fast enough to qualify for state. 

On top of all this record breaking, the team overall has been dominant. At COMO this year, the cats placed 4th out of 50 schools and also placed the highest out of class 1 swim school in attendance. As for JV, they placed second out of the entire event.

One of the reasons the team has been so successful is because of the size. The Wildcats swim team is much larger than the traditional team. This year the roster has 33 girls on it. The average number of girls on a team at the high school level is around 15-20 girls. The Cats have almost double that. The team currently has 7 seniors on the team. The future of the team looks extremely promising with the talented underclassmen. Out of the 33 girls, 18 of them are underclassmen. These girls have really shown their skill in the pool.

To conclude the already amazing season, the wildcats finished it off in a memorable way. The Cats are your new class 1 State Champions. All of the girls did extremely well at the meet on saturday. Freshman Sydney Schoek is now a 2 time state champion in 100 backstroke and 200 IND. medley. Hannah Renaud also won the 100 butterfly and is now a state champion. On top of all this, Hannah Renaud, Ellie Berkland, Ella Wolf, and Sydney Shoek placed 3rd in the 400 free relay. Janna Moellenhoff placed 8th in the 100 breaststroke, Ella Wolf placed 7th in 100 backstroke, Janna Moellenhoff, Addie Draper, Edde Sue Doring, and Hannah renaud in 200 free relay, Hannah Renuad placed 2nd in 500 freestyle, Ella Wolf placed 6th in 100 butterfly, Sydney Schoek, Janna Moellenhoff, Ella Wolf, Edde Sue Doehring placed 2nd in the 200 medley relay. As for the diving side of the team, Sarah Schloss placed 4th and Sophomore Anna Bernhardt placed 13th.

The Wildcats had a very successful season that is no surprise. The team went undefeated in the regular season breaking lots of records along the way. Another thing that contributed to their success was that they genuinely enjoy being there. At a meet at MICDS, the entire team was always smiling and enjoying being there. Never once did any of the athletes have a dull face. Another big reason for all of the team’s success is the uplifting atmosphere. They are always there for eachother and are always supporting one another.

 “The team has come a long way not only in terms of elevating the level at which they train and compete, but also in building a culture that supports one another. They have pushed and encouraged one another towards individual and team goals but also towards creating and strengthening relationships that glorify the Lord”. Says head coach Andrew Schonhoff when asked how the team has grown in the past year.

When Freshman Sydney schoek was asked about the team she said “The team is really fun, everyone gets along really well and we all know how to make each other laugh even during a hard set or before a difficult race. There’s never really a quiet or boring moment when we are all together.”