Hoover High School’s boys and girls Swim and Dive team won “Mckinley Relays” on December 4, 2024 with a hard fight to beat Jackson.

“Mckinley Relays” was a meet against 13 teams this year and instead of regular swimming events, it’s made up of elaborate relays that swimmers do not normally swim during swim meets.  Though the girls have had a constant win, the boy’s team made history with their first time winning since December of 2019.

Though swimming can be seen as an independent sport Brayden Peresie, a senior at Hoover High School and co-captain of the boys’ Swim and Dive team spoke about how important coming together as a team is to win.

“We won because we didn’t treat it like a solo sport,” Peresie said. “We cheered for each other, motivated each other, and worked together, especially when it came down to the wire. The relays were a huge example of teamwork, where everyone worked together to get the best times. It wasn’t just about individual performances, it was about everyone contributing to the overall win.”

This year’s teams had big shoes to fill after losing more than 10 exceptional seniors. Head coach for the boys’ and girls’ swim teams, Richard Vaughn, said he thinks this year’s team was able to get right back into it.

“I think because we don’t have a freshman or a JV team that practices separately the team always has juniors and sophomores that are ready to take over,” Vaughn said. “They have been through the same practices and [the] same ‘big meets’ as those graduating seniors. It allows for an easy transition because those replacing the graduated seniors have very similar experiences.”

While a lot of seniors graduated last year, the swim team has gained a lot of new swimmers. Vaughn talks about just how important they are to the success of the team.

“In a dual meet, three  lanes score for each team,” Vaughn said. “So you can win every event and still lose the meet based on points. Our new swimmers allow the team to spread out and fill our three varsity lanes, this ensures that we are using all available opportunities for points.”

The girls’ team lost a lot of key swimmers as well, senior Maggie May, captain of the girls’ team shares why the team was able to pull off the win.

“I think the girl’s team was so successful in pulling off the win because we worked so hard at practice every day and we are always bringing each other up to be our best,” May said. “We are continually working hard in practice in the weight room and the pool and I believe that is what leads to our winning.”

Though both teams did amazing, they would have not succeeded without the divers.

During a swim and dive meet, the scores from swimming and diving are combined for an overall score. That overall score decides who the winner is.

Sherrie Kimble, head coach of the boy’s and girl’s diving team, shared what she thought divers had to keep in mind during this meet.

“The divers needed to focus on their technique, consistency, and mental preparation,” Kimble said. “Performing under pressure requires confidence in their training and routines, so it was important for them to stay calm, visualize their dives and trust the process.”

With three new divers this year, there was much room for improvement. Kimble shares how their hard work paid off during the “Mckinley Relays.”

“The new Hoover divers all stepped up by putting in the effort to refine their fundamentals and develop their skills,” Kimble said. “It was clear during practice that they were committed to learning and improving, often showing resilience and determination. Their progress was evident in the way they handled the ‘meet’ with focus and composure. Returning senior Leeann Riedinger also brought her best by successfully competing in a dive she had struggled with for the past two years, which demonstrated the power of perseverance to her teammates and inspired Paige Sloan and Brady May to get that reverse dive.”

Leeann Riedinger, a senior and diver at Hoover High School, shared about how her success at the meet has helped her view her season and how both the swimmers and divers have to work together to win.

“So far this season, my success is putting me on track to compete at an 11-dive meet and help the team get points where they can,” Riedinger said. “This is [also] the first year since I started diving that swimmers are also divers. This has made the team bond even closer, and there is more energy and support between the two groups.”

Carter Brant, a junior at Hoover High School, is an athlete who swims and dives. He talks about what it was like navigating both at the “Mckinley Relays.”

“Diving during ‘Mckinley Relays’ was stressful because it was my first and I had to swim simultaneously,” Brant said. “After I swam my first event I had to go dive and my first two were definitely rough [ones]. During warm-ups I felt great when it came [to] meet time I stressed myself out and didn’t perform that great.”

Brant, who is new to diving this year, shares how he feels his training has paid off and how that has helped his stress.

“I knew this was my moment to use all of the hours I put in between swimming and diving,” Brant said. “I went out and performed to the best of my ability and it paid off greatly. I accomplished all of my difficult dives getting my respectable points as well as my personal best score of 198. This earned our team crucial points for the close win.”

Brant being able to experience two types of coaching shares just how crucial it is to his success.

“The coaching has overall been great this year,” Brant said. “Coach Vaughn has not only coached me in swimming but talked me through what is going on in my head. He has helped me to stay focused and see what needs to be done. Coach Sherrie, who is my dive coach, has been so nice and helpful in kicking off my diving career. I think with all the help and support surrounding me I will be able to accomplish a lot in the water and on the boards.”

A swim meet can be hard for any athlete, but what about the coaches? Vaughn shares what goes through his head during a meet like this.

“You hope you got the lineup correct and that no one misses an event, that the relays are set, and if it’s a home meet that the scoreboard, computer system, etc all work,” Vaughn said. “Then there is the confidence and pride that the team is the best prepared, that the swimmers and divers will look after each other. The team has fantastic support from the Parent’s group, from volunteers and from the administration of North Canton City Schools. It is a community effort that has led to the continued success of Hoover Swimming and Diving.”

Kimble shares her thoughts as well.

“As a coach, I’m constantly thinking about their preparation, encouraging them in their routines and hoping they can perform to the best of their abilities,” Kimble said. “It’s incredibly rewarding to see their hard work pay off and I’m always looking for ways to help them improve for the next opportunity.”

This win has started off what these athletes hope will be a great season for both teams. May shares how well she thinks the boys’ and girls’ teams will do this year.

“For this specific team I see a lot of wins in our near future,” May said. “I think this is one of the best teams that Hoover has had. at the beginning of the season, my goals for this team were to win “McKinley Relays,” win ‘Federal League Champs’ [In January] and for everyone to feel included and part of the team. During this first meet, we have accomplished two of those three things and I am hoping that the third is coming soon.”