At the SEC Championships held at Pioneer High School on Nov. 7th-8th, Huron Women’s Swim and Dive Team delivered an outstanding performance, finishing fourth overall.
The meet opened strong in the 200-meter medley relay with Jane Hu, Juna Sakamoto, Catherine Huang, and Rachel Kim taking fourth place. Meanwhile, Sydney Anton, Maddie Pale, Cloe Streeter, and Abby Whitehead placed 12th. Esmie Salinas and Natalie Rudolph followed with ninth and 10th place in the 200-meter freestyle. Catherine Huang led a tight Huron pack in the 200-meter IM, finishing ninth ahead of Sydney Anton, Emily Ngo, and Maddie Pale.
Hu impressed with a sixth place finish in the 50-meter freestyle, and diver Sadie Meggison secured fifth on the one-meter board. In the 100-meter butterfly, Juna Sakamoto placed seventh, along with strong swims from Anton, Salinas, Rudolph, and Streeter. For Anton, that race stood out as a personal milestone.
“My 100-meter fly, because I’ve been struggling all season and finally completed it,” Anton said.
She credited her teammates for keeping her motivated throughout the meet.
“Mostly from the support of my teammates, we cheer each other on and keep a positive mindset no matter what happens,” Anton said.
Huron’s momentum peaked in the 200-meter freestyle relay, where Hu, Sakamoto, Salinas, and Huang powered to second place, beating Skyline by a fingertip finish. The team stayed consistent through the 100-meter backstroke and 100-meter breaststroke, with Juna also taking an impressive third place in the breaststroke. The night ended with the 400-meter freestyle relay squads placing fourth and 12th, sealing Huron’s fourth-place team finish. To cap it all off, Olivia Riegle was honored with the SEC Sportsmanship Award.
“In that moment, when my name was called, I felt proud and grateful. My injury kept me from doing a lot of things during practice, and I felt like I wasn’t making as big as an impact on my team and contributing the same way I used to,” Riegle said. “This award showed me that people noticed my effort to stay positive, encourage others, and keep showing up, even when I couldn’t practice or compete.”
This award celebrates not just Huron’s competitive strength, but its spirit and teamwork.
