Linganore Swimming and Diving competed against Gov. Thomas Johnson High school on January 23 in the run-up to States.

Many people competed in the meet, and everyone brought their A game, especially Linganore High School (LHS) juniors Peyton Orlando and Jordan Grab.

Orlando, who committed to Florida State University back in December of 2022, has been swimming since she was a kid. All her hard work has since paid off.

Coach Joe Hawkins has been coaching and teaching at Linganore for six years. He identified Grab and Orlando as the number one male and female swimmers on the team.

In addition to swimming for LHS, both Grab and Orlando are club swimmers. Grab swims for Monocacy Aquatic Club, while Orlando swims for Fox Swim Club.

In the girls 200 yard medley relay, Orlando finished first with a time of 2:01.15. In the boys 200 medley relay, Grab placed first with a time of 1:49.15, beating his opponents in record time. 

Those are just two of the events that both swimmers competed in, finishing first in all races they competed in.

Orlando and Grab are not the only swimmers making records for Linganore. 

First-year swim coach Ashley Abuelhawa was recruited by Hawkins to help coach the team for the 2022-2023 season. Abuelhawa has experience as an athlete; she raced cross country for Linganore and played recreational basketball.

She identified James Martinez, another member of the swim team, as a stand-out.

“James Martinez is a good swimmer as well,” said Abuelhawa.

Being on the swim team requires a lot of effort and dedication. Forming a camaraderie with your teammates is a must to be able to perform your best in the water. 

Junior Grace Booth joined the swim team this year and practices at the YMCA.

“It has been a lot of fun being on the team,” Booth said.