Katie Hale, a junior swimmer at the University of Idaho majoring in environmental science, is the only “senior” on this year’s swim and dive team, which is made up of mostly freshmen and sophomores. Because she is graduating early, Hale will be competing in her last swim meet as a Vandal at the Western Athletic Conference Championships on Feb. 17-20.
Hale said she enjoyed being a leader for her team, even through the adverse challenges posed by COVID-19 restrictions on practices and meets over the season. Most of their meets were canceled for the 2020-21 season and they spent the majority of their time in practice much farther apart than usual, putting Hale and her team in a unique position to form renewed bonds.