Making Waves

Gallery: Maclay Takes on Leon High School and Celebrates the Class of 2026 Swimmers at Senior Night

3,2,1 GO!: Senior Sophie Lombard gets set, then dives into the 200 free individual, getting ahead quickly.

Fan Favorite: Fans cheer on senior Suhani Gawde from beside the pool. “I loved cheering on Suhani because she’s such a great swimmer and friend,” senior Lucy May said.

Time to Shine: Senior Grayson Banks walks through a makeshift tunnel with his parents and sister by his side showing their full support. “[Senior night] is fun because I finally got to see how [previous seniors] felt doing it before me,” Banks said.

Diving Into Senior Year: Lombard, Gawde and Banks pose for a picture to capture memories from senior year swim.

Water Warrior: 8th grader Olivia Holt swims in the 100 butterfly. She keeps her fingers together for a quicker pace.

Bittersweet: Lombard poses with her family for a picture before finishing the meet and celebrating with festivities. “It’s super exciting finally being a senior because I’ve watched all the seniors get celebrated for the past seven years, so it’s fun to finally be the one being celebrated,” Lombard said. “It’s also sad though because I'm going to miss all the young middle school swimmers.”

Our Turn: Gawde is celebrated, walking through a crowd of swimmers alongside her parents. “[Being a senior] is super fun because I've experienced so many senior nights and it’s kind of crazy to think I just had my own,” Gawde said.

Biggest Cheerleaders: Younger members of the swim team gather by the pool to support the senior swimmers.

Family Pride: Gawde’s proud parents stand by her and smile for a photo. When asked about her future plans for swim, Gawde said, “I don’t plan to swim on a college team. However, I may join a club team or swim recreationally.”

Get Loud: Senior Molly McDonald and Gawde pose for a picture. Gawde continues her events and McDonald cheers her on.

Photos by Blair Bayliss / Maclay Andalusian