The Lancaster High School swim team dove headfirst into their preseason training. Together, both the girls’ and boys’ teams are hitting the pool and weight room with enthusiasm. The boys, who have dominated the OCC championship for the past five years, are hungry to reclaim their title and continue their legacy. This year, the goal is to bring home both OCC championships. With regular workouts and determination, the teams are gearing up to make a splash.
Head coach Kylee Crist describes how the season is shaping up this year, compared to last year.
“This is going to be a different season for us. We graduated a lot of talent last year, but we keep reloading every year. At this point, we have a really great opportunity to continue our streak as OCC Champions with our boys team and take back an OCC Championship from Pickerington Central with our girls team. The future is bright for us for sure,” Crist explained.
Crist described how the swim team has reacted to the challenges of the preseason so far.
“Our preseason has been very long. It’s really difficult to stay focused and continue to grind day in and day out when the competition is still so far away. My team has done a fantastic job of staying focused, committed, and buying into what we’re trying to build,” she said.
Strong leadership has already surfaced as older swimmers set the pace for the team’s dynamics.
“We love to show up, work hard, and have a ton of fun. We are always ready to put our heads down and get the work done. We have a lot of really great
leadership in our senior class this year, and our junior class is huge!
Having a big and energetic upper class on our team is really the driving force and will bring us a lot of success,” said Crist.
LHS sophomore Brooke Derringer described the early days of the season.
“I don’t favor the early practices as much as I do the evening ones, yet I think they will give us the extra edge and motivation that we need this season. They [the practices] usually consist of a warmup of 200 Swim-Kick-Pull-Swim and then move into the workout where we will work on all the different types of strokes, finishing it off with a cool down and then a dry-land workout,” said Derringer.
LHS sophomore Eleanor Meyer also described the preseason practices.
“An average practice starts with one group going to dryland, where we do strength and conditioning. The other group gets in the water for warmups for around half an hour and then moves on to the main set. After this, they cool down before dryland. Once the first group is done with their dryland and the second is done in the water, they rotate. Early practices are new this year and it’s an adjustment for sure. Even though it’s hard to have the motivation to get up and practice, morning
practices are very beneficial for me individually and us as a team,” Meyer said.
LHS freshman Luke Vollmer said that he, like the other swimmers, has set important goals for himself and the season ahead.
“I think the season will go well, despite having a smaller boys team than last year. I would like to get to states, but mostly I just want to improve myself and be a better asset for the team,” Vollmer said.
The LHS swim team schedule is posted below. Home swim meets are typically held at the Lancaster YMCA at 465 West Sixth Ave.
Swim Meet Schedule for 2025_2026 Season (3)
