I'm ecstatic over the two relays, especially the 200 free because that is our shot at state. It's seeded fourth, and 1:51.44 is not our best time. I'm very optimistic to finally qualify these girls to state in something.

They shot a bunch of free throws, especially in the fourth quarter, that kept them close.

That was our top relay. There's not much else I can say about that other than it was disappointing.

I admire the kids being able to take this kind of pressure. They work for four years and everything comes down to less than 30 seconds. In other sports, there's a losers' bracket or you can work back in a second half. At some point there's redemption. In swimming it comes down to one perfect race at the exact right time.

It's nothing short of miraculous.

I can't expect 13 girls with nine freshmen to be able to go out there and hold their own. I also don't want to be discouraging. It's not that we can't accomplish good things, but we are in a league packed with swimming powerhouses.