As the most important meets of the finishing season loom ahead of the Manhattan High girls swim and dive team, the ladies are working harder than usual to ensure they finish strong.

With Centennial League on Thursday for the swimmers and Friday for the divers, the girls have less than a week to practice for a meet that will determine whether or not they will take the title they’ve been craving for so long.

“I think it’s going to be good,” junior Morgan Day said. “I think we have a pretty good team this year and we have fast people in every event.”

Because the stakes are even higher for the team as the meets become more intense, their practices have followed suit, making them focus on being faster and stronger every time they’re in the water.

“We had our last week of really hard training last week,” Day said. “This week we’re in taper so we’re resting hard.”

Along with rest accompanied by hardcore training, the swimmers and divers are more than optimistic in how they’ll place at League. Among everyone within the state, they feel as if the competition will be extraordinary.

“Last year, I did go to League and it was very competitive,” senior Kenzie Feather said. “We had a great time. There are several talented swimmers in the state of Kansas.”

The team feels more than ready to take on the competition they’ll see at League and hope to carry on their experience to state.

“I’m very excited,” Day said. “I feel like we’ll crush it.”

The team will later compete on May 16 through May 18 at the State meet where they hope to place within the top three.