Maggie Groenke, freshman, swam her way to state on Feb. 14, 2018. Groenke says she was a little nervous because it was different from any other U.S.A. or High School meet.

“I was especially nervous when they started disqualifying kids for flinching on the blocks.” Groenke been working hard for this since 7 grade year and, despite being anxious, she was confident and excited, “I had my new tech suit and after warmups, I was ready to swim.” 

Groenke placed 20th out of the 32 top swimmers in Missouri.

“I’m very proud of myself,” Groenke claims. “I’m 4 seconds off the championship’s time which makes me really excited for next year.” She says this will help her grow as a swimmer and help for next year.