by Jay Feinstein
Graduating just five seniors at the end of last year, girls’ swimming and diving, 2-1-1, starts its season with an optimistic attitude, according to coach Kirsten Tuohy.
Losing a minimal amount of swimmers bolsters the team’s experience, she said. “It helps make way for faster times.”
The Tigers were not the only team to lose such a low amount of upperclassman, though.
“None of our opponents graduated many seniors,” Tuohy said, “Our times will improve but so will the other teams’ times.”
More people are on the team this year than there have been in previous years, she said. With the addition of 11 freshmen, the team is up to 51 swimmers and divers and three managers.
Tuohy added, “We’ll miss last year’s seniors, but it would have been worse to lose more people from the team,” she said.
The Tigers are focusing on building depth. “We’re strong, but everything needs to be stronger,” she said.
There are several areas that the Tigers need to improve, Tuohy said. “We need to put some work into finishes and relay exchanges.”
According to senior Veronica Ingham, a captain with senior Hunter Hedenberg, the Tigers’ strengths include stroke events. “We’re really good at butterfly and breast stroke,” she said.
Tuesday, the Tigers will host Walpole, according to Tuohy. “We’re expecting it to be hard,” she said.  “We’re going to have to pick up our game.”
Because Walpole does not have a boys’ team in the winter, there are boys on their girls’ team. “It’s tough because boys are stronger, yet they are competing on a level playing field,” Tuohy said. “It’s frustrating, and it’s a big difference compared to competing against just girls, but the challenge makes us better competitors.”
Friday, the Tigers will host Framingham. “It’ll be an exciting meet,” she said. “We need to push our team to be more competitive than last year.”