The Lady Lancers Swim and Dive team took first place of the ten schools who competed at the Parkway South Invitational over Jan. 14 and 15, winning the meet for the second year in a row.
The team won with a total of 217 points, besting Notre Dame de Sion of Kansas City in second at 196 and Parkway West in third with 180. Rival Marquette earned fourth in the meet with a score of 166.
High points of the meet included freshman Mae Riordan’s first place finish in the 500 free with a time of 5:17:10 and the 400 free relay team’s win with a time of 3:47:77, a new best for the team.
The 400 free relay team, consisting of Riordan, senior Taylor Paskoff and sophomores Gretchen Cox and Laura Paskoff has been dubbed the new ‘Fab Four’ by head coach Todd Gabel after their performance at the meet. Being the new Fab Four is a tough act to follow. The name came from that given Lancer alums Ashleigh Grammar, Jessi Holz, Shannon McCoy and Sam Wright, the 400 relay team who set a State record in the event in 2009 and led their team to victory at State in 2010.
However hard it may seem, Taylor Paskoff seems confident in her team’s chances for the rest of the season.
“This meet is a great indication of how we will do at State since the teams that will be the biggest competition were at the meet,” Taylor Paskoff said. “It’s not completely fool-proof, but it does give us an idea of how that meet will go.”
The team competes next at Mehlville High School on Jan. 18 before facing Parkway West on Jan. 21.
