390 to 389. A single point. That was the difference that ended a four-year streak of city championships for the Girls Swim Team.

The team did not know what to expect going into the season with a new coaching staff. With stiff competition from other schools, the team was aware of the effort that had to be put forth.

“All the girls put in some really great swim practices, and I actually think we did better than expected,” Amanda Betancourt-Szymanowska, Div. 588, said.

“[This season] was as hard, if not harder than my past three seasons. All the returning swimmers knew exactly how much time and effort they needed to put in order to have a great season,” Hannah Pitchan, Div. 577, said.

Pitchan, a team captain, as well as the rest of the team  put a stronger focus on team bonding. Team gatherings included pumpkin picking, movie night, tie-dye shirts and much more.

“I can’t pick a favorite [moment] but they were all so fun, just to get away from the pool for a bit and to spend quality time with the team,” Pitchan said.

The team came together in and out of the pool, Pitchan said. Out of her four years on the team, Pitchan felt this team had more chemistry than any of the previous ones.

“We’re like a huge family. Of course, we have our good and bad moments, but at the end of the day we support each other,” Pitchan said.

Facing coaching changes and fierce competition with Northside doing well and Whitney Young in the mix, the team’s expectations were not what they had been in previous years. Going into city championships the team expected to get third place, according to Betancourt-Szymanowska — an unlikely place for reigning city champions since 2010. Those expectations were beat though, as the team ended up in second, one point away from first place and well ahead of Whitney Young.

However, the news of the painful one-point loss to Northside had some thinking, “What if?”

“We tried to find all the little ways we could’ve done better,” Betancourt-Szymanowska said. “I know I blamed myself for some of it. If I hadn’t have sprained both my toes I could’ve gotten third place instead of fourth.”

Pitchan had an idea of where the team stood ahead of time since her dad always keeps track of the points. She knew it could potentially come down to the last race, the 400-yard freestyle relay. With a time of 3:41, Lane smoked the other teams. However that was not enough. After Lane’s relay came in first she shot her dad a look and could tell right away that they had just come up short.

“I still can’t feel disappointed we lost, even if it was by one point,” Pitchan said.