Girls Varsity Swim and Dive Team Win AAA Section Championships

After an undefeated year, the Greater Latrobe girls varsity swim and dive Team won the Class AAA Section Championship Meet against Franklin Regional on February 9, 2023.  The team won by ten points with the score being Greater Latrobe 98 and Franklin Regional 88. 

Winning didn’t come easy, so the team worked hard dedicating much time to future success. Coach Grey Arrigonie says, “Everyday for two hours and on some mornings for some fine tuning, along with Saturday mornings.”  The team also participated in weight training after their swim practices.  

Practicing is a major part of what makes the swim and dive Team great, but the teamwork displayed throughout the team and how the swimmers motivate each other helps push the team to be the best they can be.  Sophomore Lauren Bell says, “We have good team chemistry and being together for three hours a day during school.”  By working so closely together  they form close bonds as a team.  

Coach Grey says, “The nice thing about a varsity sport is that we have people who have been swimming since they were five or six years old and some people who are brand new.  Swimming is a sport that doesn’t matter when you start, because you can always improve.” 

 Swimmers who have started at young ages have formed bonds with their teammates, however the team welcomes new swimmers who join the team with open arms.  Sophore Jillian Riggs says, “We have known each other forever which helps with the team chemistry.”  

Sophomore Destini Homan adds on, “I think the team overall has a good chemistry, there are ups and downs, but at the end of the day we help each other out if we need it no matter what.”  

Teammates motivate each other, along with helping each other with learning how to do a stroke better, such as giving small tips on how to get faster or a better form. 

With the motivation from teammates and practicing, the girls team was able to win the Westmoreland County Meet.  Bell said, “For us to win the County Meet before swimming Franklin, which put us out there to Franklin Regional that we are fighting  to win the Section Title.” 

In addition sophomore Margaret Elder adds, “I think that by going into the meet with no one knowing how fast we were and the girls we have, I think that really motivated us because we took what Franklin already thought they were going to win.” 

Winning the County Meet motivated the team.  “Coach Grey pushed us over the summer during Aqua Club and told the team that if they really wanted to win Section Championships they had to go, so the team just pushed themselves to be the best they could,” says Homan.  

Motivation is a major part of swimming, Bell says,” We all work hard everyday and push each other to and push ourselves to do our best.”  

The Greater Latrobe girls varsity swim and dive team earned the Class AAA Section Championship Title through teamwork, motivation, and hard work.  Team members qualified for Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League(WPIAL) on the Girls Varsity Swim and Dive team, the four girls from Girls Varsity Diving Team who qualified for the WPIAL Diving Meet is at North Allegheny High School on February 24 and 25, and the nine girls who qualified from the Girls Varsity Swim Team will compete at the WPIAL Swim Meet at Trees Pool in the University of Pittsburgh on March 2 and 3, 2003.