Orchard Park Varsity Girls Swimming has accomplished quite a season so far. The team has achieved an undefeated dual meet season and has won ECICs.
“This is a really strong team and they have performed beautifully,” commented Coach Norvilitis, who has been coaching swimming for 10 years.
Throughout his career as head coach, Coach Norvalitis’ proudest accomplishment has been “developing a culture where we support each other, have fun, and swim fast.” Some of the strongest swimmers this year have been Natalie Kassirer, Alannah Mastroianni, Penny Choroser, Holly Quagliana, Allyson Stegner, Mara Johnson, Haley Loehfelm, as well as a handful of promising freshmen.
This is Senior Captain Natalie Kassier’s fifth year on the Varsity Swim team (she’s been on the team since eighth grade) and her second year serving as Captain. When asked her favorite part about swimming, Natalie said, “The friendships that I have made with my teammates. I have met so many amazing people and some of my closest friends are on the team, which is something I will cherish forever. I also enjoy certain swim races at meets. It is always a good feeling to achieve the fastest time and to know that your hard work paid off.”
The girls not only develop a camaraderie while swimming together, but they also host team bonding events, such as their annual team breakfast and Halloween party, that make the season even more memorable. “Over the summer, before school starts, we do a team bonding breakfast at one of the captain’s houses. It is always super fun to get to know some of the new members and eat pancakes, too! At this event, we usually make name tags to decorate the pool with. Also, the Halloween party is really fun because we watch a scary movie and everyone wears costumes,” added Natalie.
In Natalie’s high school career, she has impressively qualified for States all five years in a row. For the rest of the season, her team’s goals are “to win Class AA Championships, achieve more individual state qualifiers, and to qualify for states in the 200 medley and 200 freestyle relays.” We can’t wait to see how well our Lady Quakers end up doing and wish them the best of luck!
