The swim and dive team, coached by Mrs. Samantha Millman for the last 7 years, is a very stable program here at Paint Branch. Last year, the swim and dive team had an impressive group of swimmers, including two – Melanie Doan and Claudia Quach – who advanced to states and performed exceptionally. While Doan graduated and now swims in college, Quach, just a junior, is back for more.

As for diving into this season and the expectations for the team, the Panther swimmers hope to catch up to some of the top teams in the division. This means they will need to swim and dive at their best against Springbrook, Gaithersburg, and Seneca Valley in a race to claim the division title. The meet against Springbrook will be very interesting this year, as that school has some new talent that matches up perfectly with what the Panthers will throw at them in the lineup. In addition to Quach, sophomore Alexis Borczuch, senior Jack Farias, junior Brian Money, and senior Steven Holman are the swimmers to watch. A team strength will be unity. According to Coach Millman, each teammate looks out for one another and helps whenever they can. She does note that, however, one weakness is the quick turnaround between the start of the season and the first meet.

As for her overall expectations this year, Coach Millman says, “We have some awesome returning swimmers and divers, and based on our early practices, our newcomers will be a great addition to the team. We have some strong talent coming into this season. I’m excited to see what we can accomplish!” Panther swim fans should be most excited about the swimmers slicing their times in half and the team’s over-the-top enthusiasm.