After down Covid year, swim team has good numbers
Senior swimmer Gabbie Leonhardt practices at The Wave last week.
The Columbia Falls swim team is looking to have a solid season, with several returning swimmers and a host of new talent taking up the sport as well.
The Wildcats will look for good things from returning swimmers Adam Schrader, Norah Bagley, Eloise McKeon, Kaylee King and Conner Cheff to name a few. Quinn Clark, a member of the cross country team, is also showing promise, noted second-year coach Hayden Pierce.
She said Covid was hard on the team’s numbers last year, but this year they have 23 swimmers and twice as many meets, many of which are local races.
The team practices each evening at the Wave in Whitefish. Pierce coaches both the boys and girls squads and is assisted by Price Richardson.
She said the team to beat in Class A is Billings Central. There’s about 10 class A schools total with swim teams.
The athletes do a lot of swimming. They’ll typically swim about 2,000 yards in the early practices and by the end of the season, they’ll build up to 3,500 yards a practice.