While the Battle High School Swim Team is a small collection of mainly beginners, they have seen continuous growth during the 2024-2025 season. The team gained another member from the previous season, putting them at a total of four this year.
Junior Ellie Buxton joined the team this year, and this is her first experience in competitive swimming. She recently competed in the 100m breaststroke event. Buxton said, “It’s been hard but I’m definitely getting better toward the end of the season.” Buxton has become a welcomed new member of the Battle Swim family. “I’ve made a lot of friends and everyone is super nice.” She plans on remaining on the team next year and hopes to help expand the team more.
Fellow member sophomore Lila Morris hopes to drive up numbers and gain more experience. “We have a lot of beginners on the team this year.” Many on the team are new to the sport, so practices have been broken up into two sections. The advanced swimmers practice at 5:00 am to 6:30 am, and beginners practice after at 6:30 am to 8:00 am. The beginners spend time learning more about the swim styles and how competitions work. “Getting to know what meets are like, what relays are like […] Learning more about what the sport’s about,” said Morris.
Morris has been swimming since she was eight years old and has competed for Battle High School since her freshman year. She has entered in almost every event, focusing on the 100m breaststroke and the 200m individual medley. Lila’s goal is to attend the Girls Class 1 Swim and Dive State Meet swim competition. She is currently three spots away from qualifying for States. She has steadily improved, cutting 30 seconds off her 500m freestyle time.
The Battle Swim Team has had a successful season, with members progressing to finals at large meets and winning their events at smaller meets. Morris won her 100m breaststroke event at Sedalia Duals on December 12. Battle Swim had their joint Senior Night with Hickman and Rock Bridge Swim Teams on Wednesday February 5. Morris placed third in the 100m breaststroke.
The biggest focus for the team has been learning and improving. The team wants to continue adding members next year. “If you can swim you can join the swim team,” said Morris. Buxton said that joining was “a lot of fun,” and would be recommending it to her friends.
