The Xavier community and sports fans know the longstanding legacy of both the golf team and the swim & dive team during the fall season. Both teams have incredibly good records this year, a chance at placing at state competitions and special team goals and traditions.
As the runner up team in the 2022 golf championship, the Xavier Gators are back on the green. In her second year as one of Xavier’s top golfers, Isabella Piazza ‘26 says one of her personal favorite courses is the Grayhawk Raptor course where she had an individual third-place finish and a team second-place finish.
Tui Selvaratnam, head golf coach, said the girls are focusing on “trying to play well each day and have lower scores than last year, which they have accomplished, and they’re just taking one match at a time, one invitational at a time, and wanting to get to the end line.”
Piazza said she played her personal best against Chandler earlier this season. “It was my lowest score, and very fun. I made a lot of friends there.”
The Gators will face off against some of their largest rivals, Hamilton (last year’s state champions) and Pinnacle at the state tournament.
Although the Gators consistently work hard on the course, the team also puts in effort to remain strong academically and to balance school with golf. “It’s a lot. We’ll be doing homework on the bus, at home, and it’s a lot of late nights,” said Piazza.
Fans can watch the Gator golf team compete in the state championship on October 31 and November 1 at the Aguila Golf Course in Laveen. “State will be the one not to miss,” Selvaratnam said.
Shortly after the golf state championship, the swim & dive team will compete in its state meet with even more ambition than last year.
“The big thing is the mental attitude. Our girls are doing so well, they know our goal of being fifth in the state this season. This goal has got them connected and in the mindset of ‘this is what we need to do,’” said David “Smitty” Smithers, assistant coach.
“Swim & dive score together, so dive is a large part of our goal to place fifth in the state,” says Smithers, who is in his third year coaching alongside Glen Coy, head coach.
The Gators swim several different events and excel in the events they train for. “For me, it’s 50 freestyle and 100 freestyle. I am a sprinter. I love the adrenaline,” said Lola Lysak ‘25, who recently qualified for state with a provisional cut in the 100 free, with a time of 57.50 seconds.
The Xavier swimmers have also set a yearly goal in the classroom. “We have two goals: in water is top five in state, out of the water is the Academic All-American Gold Level, which is a national recognition. Our goal is to have a top-level team that also ranks as a swim team with a high average GPA among our swimmers,” Smithers said.
Ginger Mago ‘25 and Lola Lysak ‘25 shared that the team morale is at an all-time high with the team connecting over their 4×100 freestyle relay, because it is a chance to push one another as the final event of their meets. “Big cheer time with a lot of pressure but a lot of fun,” Mago said.
“This team is crazy fun. This team personality is outgoing, all the girls are excited, they’re funny. Definitely when we have music playing, they’re always singing. They can focus on what they need to swim, but they have fun when they’re resting in between sets,” added Smithers.
The swim and dive team invites all fans to the Last Chance Meet on Wednesday, October 25 at 4:00 p.m. at Brophy. This meet will be the last chance for spectators to watch the Gators at home, as well as the athletes’ last opportunities to qualify for state.
Swim & dive will compete in the state preliminaries on Friday, November 3, and the state finals held on Saturday, November 4 at the Skyline Aquatic Center.
