The Stillwater girls swim and dive team has broken the state record for most dual wins. This team is unstoppable, but winning isn’t the only thing they are focused on.

The girls swim and dive team have not lost a dual meet since 2003. They have a total of 127 consecutive wins and are still pushing forward. The winning streak is important to the team and it is a representation of how much time and effort they have put in.

The swimmers are always working hard in practices and games to keep the winning streak going knowing how much it means to them.

“I think the winning streak means a lot to the team. It means a lot of people know that they were apart of making that happen. And to know that their hard work has payed off and continues to pay off,” senior captain Madeline Gilbert said.

The team broke the record at a home game against East Ridge. The record was originally set by the coach Brian Luke’s father, Elmer Luke, in the late 1970s to 1990s. Elmer Luke still helps out with the Stillwater team occasionally and the girls have grown fawn of him calling him Grandpa Luke.

“It felt amazing being able to break Grandpa Luke’s record. It was also very special that he was able to be there for it. I was on the team when we broke 100 and I didn’t even think about the fact that we would be able to break a state record at that point and still be on the team and to be a part of it was special,” Gilbert said.

In last year’s season, the girls swim team finished 1st in the Surburban East conference and placed 4th in state. The team is doing well so far in their season and are working hard to do even better in state this year.

“I think in dual meets we will do very well. However, at the MSHSL state meet we will have some difficulties. It will be very difficult to replace 4th place,” said Coach Brian Luke. “I think our team can do just as well as want to, and I hope that we will be able to be just as successful as we were last year,” sophomore Asia Neuman said.

Losing some key seniors has become a challenge, but also an opportunity for the younger athletes to show their talents and really help the team out. The swim team’s support for each other is undeniably present at the meets as it is shown through the teams cheering. They know each other like the back of their hands and that is key to a successful team.

“Our team always has the goal to better ourselves individually, but also as a whole. We have great discipline and we know each other’s strengths and weaknesses. There are many improvements that we can make, but the biggest would be having our younger athletes step up in the place of our stronger swimmers we have lost,” Neuman said. ” The energy is a huge part in how it affects the team. If the energy is high and everyone is excited, people tend to be excited and want to do well too. It makes people want to do their best for the team,” Gilbert said.

Their winning streak is not the only thing that is important to them. They like to focus on getting better as a team and compete one meet at a time. The girls on this swim team are not only teammates, but they are a family.

“Our team does not look at the winning streak as just winning. I think it’s over-emphasized by calling it ‘our winning streak.’ Yes, it’s extremely important to us, and it is something we are proud of and have worked hard to maintain, but winning is certainly not everything to any of us,” Neuman said.