BY MAGGIE VANDER WOUDE
STAFF WRITER
The Lady Barons swim team kicked off their season with their first home meet at Big Red High School on Saturday afternoon.
The women’s swim team competed against AMCC fellow conference teams Bethany College and Cabrini College. First year swimming head coach, Kateri Lang, who was Franciscan’s diving coach last year, coaches the Barons’ swim team. Experienced swimmer, Angela Belback, assists Lang.
The Lady Barons were led by Virginian freshman, Elizabeth McNulty, who placed first in both her individual events: 200 individual meledy and 100 butterfly. The 400 free relay team made up of McNulty (FR), Maria Giuliani (S), Maura Grabski (FR), and Emily Allsted (FR) also took 1st place in their heat.
The swim team has 14 women on the team this season, which is a doubling in size compared to last year’s team. The Barons welcomed eight new freshmen. The team has a total of eight meets this season and all together the team participates in 10 events each meet.
Giuliani is the team’s captain and the only girl who has been on the team all four years here at Franciscan. She is the only swimmer still here at Franciscan who was part of the very first swim team at Franciscan in 2011.
McNulty bragged about her captain saying, “Maria’s really just a great role model.”
Giuliani and her fellow seniors, Annie Williams and Katie Orslur, were recognized for their dedication and achievements at Saturday’s meet for senior night.
The Franciscan women’s swim team is an up and coming program. McNulty says, “We’re basically setting a base for the future teams. It’s really cool being a part of the beginning of the swimming program here at Franciscan.”
McNulty is affirmed by her decision in swimming for the Lady Barons this year, “It’s a great group of awesome girls and we’ve all gotten so close. We have a good team dynamic and I’m so blessed to be a part of it.”