It was small from the beginning. With only seven freshmen in 2019, the South swim team’s class of ‘22 kept getting smaller until there were two seniors left: Adam Kovacs and Kristina Paegle. With only two seniors representing the team, it’s easy to see the leadership and sportsmanship this dynamic duo takes on.
“When you’re a senior, they expect you to lead the team, lead the practice and just be the center of good positivity,” says Adam Kovacs.
Kristina Paegle adds that “there are a lot of juniors too and they help a lot, and our team can work together, so that makes it a little easier. And then also having Adam too, it makes it easier too because it’s like I’m not the only one.”
Paegle has been competing in the Olympic trials and has been making big strides in her swimming career.
“I went to the world cup in late September-early August and that was a cool international experience. I want to do stuff like that again and work hard and get there,” said Paegle.
With a definite spot on the Indiana University Swim team, she also plans to study at Kelly School of Business with a possible major in accounting. Not just Paegle, though, is doing great things in her swimming career. Kovacs is hitting some great times and good places at the first meet of the season. He had big expectations for himself and meet them.
“I felt good,” Kovacs said. “I haven’t been in the water for about 8 months, so this is a pretty good meet for me. I expected to get close to my all-time best time and I did exactly that, so I am pretty proud of myself.”
For the first meet of the season, unfortunately, Peagle was not able to participate due to missing a week of practice. Adam, though, did swim and had some great times and swam first and second places in his events.
In the men’s 200 medley he swam a 50 fly with a time of 25.47. In the 100 free, he swam 51.94, and in the 100 breast, he swam a 1:04.92. Finally, in the 4×100 free relay, he swam a 50 in 24.51 and a 100 in 52.38.
Although both seniors have different reasons for continuing to swim, they both have big goals for themselves and the team this season.
“I want to do better than last year,” said Paegle. “I have high goals for the end of the season and I want our team to do better and hopefully, we’ll get another sectional title on the girls’ side. Individually I want to get two state titles and break state records I was close to breaking last year.”
It seems like Kovacs wants about the same thing for the team and has similar goals for himself.
“I want to finish strong and lead the lower classmen to a better season and beat some times,” says Kovacs.
Kovacs and Paegle have a strong season ahead of them. “We have a great group of kids,” says Paegle. “ I think we are starting to get a better team culture and work together, both boys and girls. I think we are going to bring us together and build more friendships.”
