Manhattan High’s Swim and Dive team pulled together to take their score up to first place just in time in the last race of the home invitational on Saturday.

Both A and B relay teams scored to move MHS into first.

“It was surreal. I knew everyone was screaming but I couldn’t hear anything and it was just like the most intense thing ever,” sophomore Chris Bedros said.

This was exactly what the team was preparing for going into the invite.

“I was very nervous but I knew I was prepared from all the hard practices I made it through and I was ready,” junior Xander Say said. “I was also kind of excited because I’ve never been in a position like that before so I knew it would be a really good experience no matter how the race ended.”

The team was actually down by half a point, behind McPherson.

“We actually led the entire meet and except for breaststroke and backstroke events 10 and 11, so McPherson had come on strong to take the lead going into the last race,” head coach Alex Brown said. “We had a strong finish to take that lead right back.”

Next to come is league. The teammates going will continue practicing to prepare for their upcoming meet on Friday.   

“We will keep the intensity but more rest [will] help their muscles [to] start [and] take in all the intensive training we’ve done the last several weeks and [to] see some solid times as we finish up at league,” Brown said.

Their rivals will be there as well.

“League will be super competitive. The teams that will be there, Washburn and Seaman, we’ve seen multiple times this year and it’s been a really close competition, all of them between the three of us,” Brown said. “It should be a really highly competitive meet.”

The team is focused and working hard in hopes to win league and not let their competitors stand in their way.

“Washburn Rural is always a tough challenge. Being our rivals, they have lots of talent,” Say said. “However, we need to make sure we are prepared and we don’t get in our own way.”

The invite was an extra big deal for all of the seniors and foreign exchange students since they were all recognized before the meet began.

The league meet will be on Friday at Topeka followed by state on Feb. 14-16 also in Topeka.