With exceptional performances at their final league meet on April 18 against Whitney High School, reputable for high speeds and skilled swimmers, Oxford’s swim team ended the season strong 8-1 in their league meets. Making new records and memories, the captains, senior Susan Tran and junior Katie Tran, are proud of the team’s hard work over the last few months.
The swimmers have all worked diligently to secure their success going against competitors in the 605 League like Pioneer and Artesia this year — even surprising themselves with their win on April 18 against Whitney at the final event, the 400 free relay.
“It was such a great surprise when we found out that we won! We were actually behind points-wise up until the last event. Our coach came over and told us, ‘If you guys win this event, we win the meet, so swim like your life depends on it,’ and that worked,” said Susan Tran.
The same strategy was used to win their Cypress meet on March 9th, despite being outnumbered one-to-three and having two relay teams against three. Behind by five points, both teams had to place in the top three — with one at first (eight points) — and another getting four or two points in the latter ranks to win. The swimmers stayed dedicated and honed in, leading them to triumph.
“We were losing by five points up until the last girls’ relay. The whole team was cheering and we ended up winning the heat [with] all teams [winning] in the end. Our team spirit was amazing and there was so much of it,” Katie Tran said. “It was definitely the reason why we won!”
All-around, Oxford’s relays have faced success. Boys swimmers like junior Matthew Lee and sophomore Hunter Hua made CIF consideration time in their relays, and the entire team rides on their support for one another and their family.
“For me, I’d say my mom would be my biggest source of support,” said senior Benjamin Wong. “She’s always pushed me to go past my limits, even when I thought I had reached them.”
At AUHSD Relays, four girls also made a big splash — breaking a school record in the girls 200 intermediate relay! Each swimmer took one of the four strokes and swam two laps each. Freshman Jolie Diep (butterfly) joined Susan Tran (backstroke), Katie Tran (freestyle), and junior Jolie Nguyen (breaststroke) in the accomplishment.
“We ended up getting CIF auto time. We just wanted to end the meet on a high note, [and] we all told each other we have nothing to lose and gave it our best — it just happened!” Diep said.
The team remains committed to focusing on upcoming games and eventual CIF. Katie and Susan Tran are glad to have gotten to the finish line of the season and guide swimmers to success, from recording memories and boosting morale. The entire team is excited for what comes next!
“I’m really proud of [all] the swimmers. I understand it can get stressful to balance swim and school, but they have made so much progress,” Katie Tran said. “I’m proud of the dedication they built, and I very much respect [them].”
