A popular mantra among athletes is that if you look good you feel good, and if you feel good you perform well.
That is certainly true of the Richmond Hill swim team this season.
Thanks to a sponsorship by Hill on Wheels Bike and Multisport, the Wildcats have new state-of-the-art suits, caps and warmups. And they’ve already set 16 new school records at the half-way point of the season.
"We are very fortunate to be able to partner with a locally owned business,” Coach Kristin Blanton said. “Michael Peters and John Cameron of Hill on Wheels have helped to transform our uniforms into sharp, sleek standouts.”
The team took a combined first place at the Savannah Swim Invite in November, while the girls’ team claimed first place at both the Pumpkin Plunge and Cadet Invitational. The boys’ team has top-three finishes at the Pumpkin Plunge and the Calvary Invitational.
Team records broken thus far include the boys 200 medley relay 1:53.86 (Harrison Taylor, Logan Duggar, Logan Merry, Robby Jones); girls 200 medley relay 2:10.42 (Kat Stigall, Esperanza Otero, Maddie Patselas, Cierra Cims); girls 200 free 2:16.00 (Otero); boys 50 free 23.82 (Jones); girls 50 free 28.10 (Stigall); boys 100 fly 55.54 (Jones); girls 50 fly 1:09.52 (Otero); girls 100 free 1:01.32 (Otero); boys 500 free 5:05.32 (Jones); boys 200 free relay 1:40.67 (Jones, Duggar, Merry, Taylor); girls 200 free relay 1:53.48 (Sims, Stigall, Otero, Patselas); boys 100 back 1:00.06 (Jones); girls 100 back 1.10.86 (Stigall); boys 100 breast 1:05.80 (Jones); boys 400 free relay 4:01.41 (Gavin Pennington, Brock Mitchell, Harrison, Duggar); girls 400 free relay 4:15.08 (Otero, Sims, Stigall, Patselas).
“We are grateful for Hill on Wheels for providing us with great uniforms that we have been able to swim some of our fastest times with,” Blanton said.
The full team roster includes Will Griffin, Stella Louis, Kat Hoover, Connor Duckworth, Robert Duckworth, Aneesah Dalal, Rachel Langley, Alexis Sotilleo, Chaeyun Yoo, Jackie Foley, Maddi Zdunich, Hanna Coker, Madyson Purdy, Kaylee Barcley, Lexi Merry, Mackenzie Frei, Ivan Garcia, Vivianne Robitu, Madison Freund, Sarah Cowart, Alexis Mosco, Elise Darrow, Jenny Urso, Whitley Fussell, Elijah Saldana, Ana Rosales, Wyatt Hayes, Jaqlynn Cassady, Lauren Masih, Brena Loveless, Lexi Brooks, Tyler Dunlavy, Logan Brown, Gabriel Howley, Magnus Bamman and Kiara Doi.
The swimmers are back in action Jan. 5 at the Savannah Country Day Invitational.