Oak Park High School’s swim team dove into the 2025-26 season, beginning practice on the first day of second semester.

The team has added weekend practices and weight room workouts to complement regular pool sessions, which last between 90 minutes and two hours, for four days a week. In preparation for the swim meet at Westlake High School on Friday, Feb. 27, swimmers have been focusing on starts and finishes, including diving off blocks and powering into the wall.

“We’ve incorporated dryland, which is strength and conditioning, into our training,” team captain and junior Jennie Wang said. “It should make for really good progress and improvement this season.”

On Sunday, Feb. 8, the team competed in the annual InterSquad meet at California Lutheran University, racing against teammates and rehearsing relays.

“It sets us up for meets and competitions where we know each other really well,” team captain and senior Jerry Jin said. “We know each other’s swimming styles and preferences.”

In previous years, the OPHS swim team struggled to fill spots in events, but this year’s roster has grown to over 40 swimmers–double its former size.

“I’m really excited to see how people have improved, and how all the new swimmers do,” Wang said.

New swimmers say they’re excited to join the team and appreciate how supportive it is.

“The team is really fun and welcoming,” freshman varsity swimmer Katya Fedorchak said. “I’m looking forward to competing in my favorite events and relays with friends, as well as getting to know new people.”

Jin says this close-knit culture is a hallmark of the swim team.

“The swim team is a really chill place; everyone’s really close with one another. Say, you show up to practice and you forget your pair of goggles or a swim cap. There’s always a teammate out there that’s willing to lend you one of theirs.”