It was halfway through the State Meet when City High’s 4×50 relay walked out, hand in hand, ready to take to the water. The pool at Marshalltown YMCA was loud, booming with cheers. Despite a season that was all but linear, the swimmers had reached the “end goal.”

“I was so proud of my teammates for working so hard to get here, and happy to be a part of it. It was exciting to watch all of our relays qualify because our team hasn’t done that in quite a few years,” Senior Captain Margalit Frank ’24 commented after the meet.

Ending with a clean sweep, Grace Hoeper ‘25 placed 1st in the 50 freestyle and 1st in the 100 freestyle. After a season with incredible times and school record-breaking races, Hoeper has earned the title of “the fastest swimmer in the state.” Watch out for her next fall during her last season with the City High swim team.

The relays have exceeded expectations and goals this year. At the beginning of the year, Captain Frank discussed team goals, one of which was qualifying all three relays for State. These swimmers did just that. Hoeper, Frank, Elsa Farber ‘25, and Saoirse Miller ‘25, brought the relay within 1 second of the school record, sweeping their heat and the next two to follow. Ending with the 8th best time at the tournament, the team swept the first three heats with a time of 1:39.96 but fell short of placing after the fourth heat. The other two relays, 4x100Y Free and 200Y Medley, ended 15th and 27th respectively. 

“This team exceeded expectations by miles. For the rest of my life when I think about high school, the first thing that will come to mind will be swimming for City High. We are so lucky to have such a hardworking, kind, and supportive group. I often think of us as a family more often than a team,” Frank said. She and many other seniors have left behind an amazing season and a team that they cannot wait to watch accomplish even more things in the future.