Falcons take on the Muskies

The Falcons take on their 3rd swim meet.

%E2%80%9CMy+favorite+part+about+swimming+is+the+relationships+that+are+built.+The+sport+is+so+tough+it+brings+us+all+closer+together+throughout+the+season.+The+meets+are+really+fun+as+well%2C+especially+when+our+team+is+winning%2C%E2%80%9D+senior+Nate+Hagedorn+said.

McKenzie Schertz

“My favorite part about swimming is the relationships that are built. The sport is so tough it brings us all closer together throughout the season. The meets are really fun as well, especially when our team is winning,” senior Nate Hagedorn said.

Stoyota Nguyen, Reporter

Davenport West was defeated in last night’s meet against the Muscatine Muskies. West finished with a score of 57-79, improving the team times over 34 seconds. Although the Falcons didn’t win, they put up a challenge against the muskies.

Leading up to last night’s meet, West experienced a lot of difficulties and tough challenges. West encouraged and motivated each other to perform their best yesterday night. Some swimmers have different skill levels but that doesn’t stop them from working as a team.       

 “West is different from other teams because they’re all so supportive of each other no matter their skill level. I think they work hard because you can see how much they wanna win,” junior Sydney Westerhof said.

In each meet West aspires to do better and learn from their mistakes. However, last night West finished 2nd in the 400y Freestyle Relay with a time of 1:51.34. Also finishing second in the 200y Freestyle Relay with a time of 1:51.34, but had a couple wins in the individual races. Brandt Fellner, Luke Mattson, Alex Ewoldt, And Ashton Hazelett all successfully earned 1st place. 

“Something that I can take away from tonight’s meet is that you shouldn’t disqualify. You work too hard each day to mess up when it actually counts,” junior Ian Keeney said. 

Swimmers at Davenport West went through an immense amount of training every day after school to prepare for last night’s meet. Swimming is a way to build endurance, muscle strength, and cardiovascular fitness. 

“Swim practice is definitely one of the most physically demanding things I’ve ever done. As a team we put in so much work each week, it’s exhausting,” junior Luke Mattson said. 

Athletes at Davenport West have a lot to do to prepare for a meet. While some athletes might get enough sleep and eat properly throughout the day others stay up late.

“I got five hours of sleep last night, I didn’t even eat breakfast. It was a terrible way to take care of my body for the meet,” junior Luke Mattson said. 

People in the audience were screaming and hyping on their friends and family. The Muskies started off with a loud chant to begin the race and Davenport West was also fired up for the meet. Some of the swimmers last night placed first in their event.

“My best race tonight was the 200 Medley because me and Ian won first place. We were thrilled to see our hard work pay off,” junior Luke Mattson said.