South’s Swim and Dive Team Wipes Out Competition at State Championship

Used with permission from Erin Loggins

Swimming into victory. South Forsyth’s Swim team smiles bright as they prepare to compete at their state championship. All the swimmers were very excited to showcase their skills as they went into the weekend.

Shree Delwadia and Maggie Craig
February 9, 2022

Beginning on Friday, February 4th, the South Forsyth Swim & Dive team went to Georgia Tech University to compete in the Georgia High School Association (GHSA) State Swimming Championships. Students, staff, and teachers lined the hallway with encouragement and support as they cheered on the swim team before they left for their swim meet. At the meet, the War Eagles soared to the top and placed top 10 in the state with many swimmers advancing to the finals.

“This meet was a little different; at the moment I wasn’t even thinking about what we placed,” said senior Sarah Davis. “My friends and I were all gathered by the pool after the girls’ last relay hugging, congratulating each other, and just taking in the fact that it was our last swim meet all together. Later, when I found out we had placed in the top 10, I was so excited and we all celebrated afterward on the bus and at dinner.”

For the seniors on the Swim & Dive team, this meet was their last chance to make a lasting impact on their sport. They all rose to the challenge and gave it their all. The following seniors helped South advance to the finals during the championship:

Gavin Cullinan: 200 Medley Relay, 100 Free, 100 Fly, 400 Free Relay

Owen Cullinan: 200 Medley Relay, 400 Free Relay

Caroline Blair: 200 Medley Relay

Lizzie Ryan: 200 Medley Relay

Katie Herman: 200 Medley Relay, 50 Free, 100 Free, 400 Free Relay

Jenny Chung: 200 Free, 400 Free Relay (200 Free Relay)

Sarah Davis: 200 Free Relay

Max Betzer: 500 Free

Senior Jenny Chung, who took the spotlight in several races, said, “Swimming is all about mentality, and really going into the final meet with a positive attitude was a big thing. I set up some personal goals that I wanted to achieve and had the mentality that it was my last year and I couldn’t let anyone down.”

The following War Eagle swimmers advanced to the finals, soaring South’s rankings to the top 10 of the state championships.

Kara Cullinan: 200 Free, 500 Free, 200 Free Relay, 400 Free Relay

Charlotte Tully: 200 Medley Relay, 400 Free Relay, 200 Free Relay, 100 Back

Matthew Malone: 200 Medley Relay, 100 Fly, 200 Free Relay

Derek Henry: 200 Medley Race, 100 Breast, 200 Individual Medley

Owen Rhone: 200 Free Relay, 400 Free Relay

Julian Van Peteghem: 400 Free Relay

Amelia Bergdahl: 200 Free Relay

Brandon Kim: 500 Free

Ultimately, the 2021-2022 swimming championship was definitely one for the books. While the team faced some challenges along the way due to COVID-19 guidelines, the captains and swimmers persevered through the obstacles and swam to the finish line in success.

“SOFO swim has always made swimming ‘fun’ for me again as opposed to what I sometimes felt swimming year-round,” mentioned senior Katie Herman. “There’s a lot of team spirit and it just feels like a family. It’s definitely a great feeling considering our team is a lot smaller than some of the other teams we swim against at state. It’s just a feeling that our hard work paid off.”

Check out the gallery before to see some fun moments from this past weekend!

About the Writers

Shree Delwadia, Editor-In-Chief

Shree Delwadia is excited to be part of The Bird Feed as a senior! This year is her fourth year on staff, and she cannot wait to take on her new responsibilities as the Editor-In-Chief. By working on the staff as a writer and an editor, she has learned a variety of communication, teamwork, and accountability skills that she will take on to other roles in her life. At school, she is a part of MDJunior, Beta Club, and UNICEF. In her spare time, she loves spending time with her friends and family or discovering new things to do. Two of her ride-or-die tv shows are Grey’s Anatomy and Friends. Moreover, Shree has a strong interest in medicine and hopes to pursue a career in healthcare one day. You can contact her via twitter @ShreeDBirdFeed or using her email [email protected].

Maggie Craig, Editor-In-Chief

Maggie Craig is currently a senior at SFHS and is super excited to be this year's Editor-in-Chief for The Bird Feed. If she isn’t writing stories, you will find her jamming out on her guitar or ukulele. She is a performer at heart and is a member of the voice company at RISPA. Maggie loves musicals such as Waitress and Miss Saigon. In her spare time, she binge-watches anime and plays on her Nintendo Switch. Never hesitate to approach her and say hello because she loves meeting new people. You can contact her through her email @[email protected] or through her Twitter @Smrcraig108.