Vance Aquatics suffers first loss of the season

Brandon White, Henderson (N.C.) Daily Dispatch
·2 min read

Jun. 22—DURHAM — A perfect summer for the Vance Aquatics swim team came to an end with their first in-person meet against Five Oaks on Saturday, as they ended up losing a hard-fought battle by a score of 225-169.

Although head coach Natasha Rubin had hoped Vance Aquatics would improve to 4-0 after three stellar virtual meets, she said there were plenty of positive takeaways from her team's trip to Durham despite the loss.

"Our first face-to-face meet was great as far as our attitude and effort goes," Rubin said. "We had to get up early to head to Durham and even though the outcome didn't go the way I wanted to, I was proud of our sportsmanship and the way we came together as a team."

Bridger Stewardson led the way for Vance Aquatics on Saturday by breaking team records in the 50-yard freestyle, backstroke and butterfly records in the 13-14 year-old category. Robert Hopper also broke his own 50-yard butterfly record while Leah Moseley set a record in the 50-yard backstroke.

Stewardson was one of two swimmers to register as triple winners for Vance Aquatics during their meet against Five Oaks, with Lillian Cole also accomplishing that feat in the 7-8 year-old category.

While Rubin believed the effort and determination were present Saturday, she said that Five Oaks proved to be slightly faster than Vance Aquatics in almost every single age group, which ultimately decided the outcome of the meet.

Rubin still has plenty of time on her hands to help fine-tune Vance Aquatics' minor issues but said that the program will keep finding success as long as her swimmers continue to display efficient teamwork and encourage one another to get better.

"I want us to keep working on our technique," Rubin said. "We need quicker reaction times on our starts. Hopefully we can keep cheering each other on and having fun while also trying to break our own personal records."

Vance Aquatics will wrap up the regular season at home against Treyburn on Saturday morning before heading to the Triangle Aquatic Center in Cary on July 10 for the Durham Summer Swim League Championship meet.