by Melissa Smith | Sports Writer

Last Friday, January 21, the Johnson aquatics team competed at district and emerged victorious; many athletes qualified for the upcoming finals, including junior Cameron Wickes and junior Riley Marks, winner of the 200 individual medley.

“It was actually really cool [to win districts]. A lot of people see it and they come up to me and say things like ‘good job’; it’s just a really good feeling,” Marks said.

For the swimmers, it takes a strong mentality to perform well against the fierce competition.

“It was like intense – a lot of pressure to do well,” Wickes said. “It was exciting though because they call out your name and everyone is cheering for you.”

In preparation for competition, the team trained rigorously and even shaved their entire bodies.

“We do tappering,” sophomore Elizabeth Bennett said. “[Also] we stopped shaving in November and shaved the night before and the day of districts. It took off a good 2 to 3 seconds on people’s times.”

This year proved to be the best in the team’s history – Johnson finally defeated its opponent, MacArthur.

“We placed higher than we have ever before – we beat them by one point. They always beat us and this is the first time this has ever happened,” Wickes said.

The aquatics team placed 3rd overall in district, behind Reagan and Churchill.