Among the eight swimmers that qualified to attend the San Angelo Invitational Swim Meet on the weekend of Oct. 31, two girls advanced to finals.

“I was happy that I made it and represented (the school) in the final 12,” senior Naa Bruce said. “It was a good feeling and I was proud of myself as a captain and a swimmer to qualify for an honorable experience.”

Certain times had to be met in both individual and relay races in order for the athletes to attend the away trip.

“I think it’s a good team bonding experience and it teaches our swimmers how to compete in a preliminaries/finals meet, so (that) they are better prepared for our Regional Championship Meet,” Swim Coach Amy Lamar said.

Freshman Alexander Pappas also qualified in the 200 IM and 100 Fly.

“It was fun, and not only a great way to get closer to my team, but a great opportunity to swim against the ‘real deal,’” she said.

As a senior, Bruce said she made the most of her final San Angelo Meet.

“I felt very sentimental about the trip, and my overall goal was to enjoy as much of it as possible,” she said.

Lamar said she has goals for the team in the future.

“I expect that we will have even more swimmers with individual qualifying times to attend the (next) meet,” she said.

Making it to the San Angelo meet wasn’t easy, Pappas said.

“I trained hard in practice and realized excuses get me nowhere,” she said.

Bruce said she is looking forward to the rest of the season.

“The team is strong and ready,” Bruce said. “The girls’ relay team is qualifying for the annual TISCA (Texas Interscholastic Swimming Coaches Association) meet, which is a huge deal for us and it is only going to get better from here.”