On Sept. 3, the girls swim team lost to the Chaska Hawks in a dual meet. While it was a tough loss, the second meet of the season emphasized what the girls need to improve.

Despite their low final score, the final outcome satisfied Coach Kristen Steenvoorden.

“I thought the meet went great for the girls. We had a lot of girls kind of all over the place, and it’s only the second meet of the season. We had some girls that were at their best times from last year or a little bit slower than them, and we have a couple things to work on, but it’s setting us up well for the season,” Steenvoorden said.

Steenvoorden believes that the Chaska meet will improve future performances.

“It would be nice to have a couple more girls continue to get top three finishes at our dual meets,” Steenvoorden said.

Steenvoorden always appreciates getting new swimmers and divers as they give the team a chance to get more points, which will help them win more meets.

“Of the thirty-seven swimmers, there are fifteen maybe that are new, and a lot of them are young. We have six new divers. I hope the divers can continue to get better and see how they will compare to the rest of the divers in sections,” Steenvoorden said.

With the potential Steenvoorden sees on the team, she believes good goals will push the girls to do their best.

“I would like to get as many swimmers and divers as we can to represent Hopkins well [at sections]. I would like to have a couple individual and relay swimmers in the state meet, and as many girls as possible in the finals in sections,” Steenvoorden said.