Girls' Swimming and Diving

It's autumn, which means Friday night football and evening soccer games. But there is another very talented sports team that shines in the fall, the Jamesville-DeWitt Girls' Swimming and Diving team.

This year's team is unique compared to other years because of its youth. Their roster not only comprises of seniors, juniors, and sophomores, but also seven freshman and three eighth-graders. "The younger swimmers are making a huge impact on the team. They are in the starting lineup and major point scorers in the meets," said Head Coach Bob Bewley.

Coach Bewley and the team have their sights set on winning the Class B Section III Championship. This goal seems to be within their reach, because as any sports coach or player knows, team chemistry is a vital part of winning. And the team doesn't run short of that. "They are a great bunch of athlete[s] and I'm proud to be their coach," said Coach Bewley.

The team is full of talented swimmers, with a full roster of 45 girls. Despite their large numbers, they did not face any additional problems because of budget cuts. "It's the same as every other team, they have fewer matches. They're getting less of the everyday stuff they need. Every team's budget was cut by 10 percent," said J-DHS Athletic Director Bill Brown.

Along with Coach Bewley, the girls have high expectations of themselves. The team had a 4-1 record in September. Sophomore Meghan Engstrom, a diver, says the team will do well the rest of this year and that they have a good chance of winning sectionals with over 16 girls having already qualified.