It took place at 2:30 PM, with energy and competition rising high. Parents and friends cheered loudly in the stands as each heat dived off the board. Each student swimmer flew through their lane, creating an experience to be remembered.

“I think it was really competitive, you know? A lot of the races were close [despite] the gender differences,” said Ms. Winters, the Varsity Girls swim coach.

Although it was a close game, the Boys Varsity swim team took the win for this meet, with a score of 115-88. On the Varsity Girls Team, Sophomore Shara Lee completed her 500-yard freestyle with her coaches and teammates cheering her on. Shara did an amazing job, considering that she had to swim 20 laps! Sophomore Sergio Baerga took a win for the Varsity Boys Team with the 200-yard freestyle. 

This was a monumental event for our current Xaverian swimmers, considering our last Boys vs. Girls meet was back during the 2022-2023 season. The idea of having girls swim against boys pushes the gender stereotypes that have been built around sports for ages. The Xaverian girls swim team proved that confidence and effort are just as important as strength and victory. The close scores and the tight races crossed the expected boundaries that gender places on athletes. For ages, boys' teams have gotten the most acknowledgement and praise, within both school teams and professional teams. A false belief that men's games are more exciting and have more potential has been popularized for decades; sports channels show less diversity, and the bleachers often lie less populated at the women’s games.

Our Xaverian teams show how both boys’ and girls' teams create exciting atmospheres within the games. The close races and the overall energy created an engaging performance from both the boys’ and girls’ sides. This meet was a great way to start the season! Both teams showed great sportsmanship during this meet, encouraging and cheering each other on. The meet was around an hour and a half, filled with anticipation and friendly competition.

This memorable meet emphasized the unique strengths of both our girls' and boys' teams. It is safe to say that although there was one winner, both teams experienced victory. Xaverian can’t wait to see more hard work and dedication from both of our talented swim teams!