The starting gunshot rings throughout Plano Aquatic Center, causing the skittish swimmers to jump into the frigid waters, beginning another race that the Jesuit Rangers will dominate. On Wednesday, October 28, our Ranger Swimming and Diving team showcased their immense strength against the Plano swim teams with many swimmers setting personal best times.
Swim Coach Doug Moyse stated that “[the team did] very well, we were able to do something we weren’t able to do before [in prior years]. This meet was especially important because we had lost a double meet to Allen [earlier].”
One recurring quality of great teams is their overall strength, not just one single swimmer or player. And like those great teams, Jesuit consists of not just a few great swimmers, but a whole team full of them. When asked if any one particular swimmer stood out at the meet, Coach Doug Moyse replied,”It was definitely a team effort. Right now, a lot of people are getting personal best times. We can’t point to anyone [swimmer] without missing many other great ones.” Agreeing with his coach, Abbas Hussain ’17 put it simply: “Man, we’ve got a really fast team this year.”
Looking to the future, Moyse thinks that the team is “on its way to accomplishing the goals [they] set out at the beginning of the season.” The Swim Team’s goals, aside from doing their best, are to win the district meet, then qualify as many swimmers as they can at the regional meet, and hopefully match or surpass the outstanding performance at last year’s state meet, which was “the best finish at state in Jesuit history,” according to Moyse.
When asked if he would make some predictions for the rest of the swim season, Moyse optimistically proclaimed,”I predict that we will be competitive in district, especially against our biggest rival, Highland Park. HP has some really good freshman whereas a lot of ours aren’t quite in our zone [yet], so they’re ineligible.” Although Moyse thinks “the decks are stacked against us,” he remains “positive about what [this team] can do.”
Be sure to congratulate and wish any members of our Ranger Swimming and Diving Team luck for the rest of their season!
