Six Years in the Making: Celebrating Senior Swimmers’ Legacy
This week marked a significant milestone for three senior swimmers at O’Neal, Gus Ambersley, Carson Pusser, and Morgan Lewis, as they competed for the last time in the O’Neal pool during Senior Recognition night. Their journey began six years ago when the O’Neal Middle School Swim Team was founded, a step chronicled in a 2019 article in The Pilot titled, “Falcons Look to the Future with Middle School Swim Team.” That vision has come full circle as these swimmers close this chapter of their athletic careers.
Head Coach and Aquatics Director Jen Schmitz reflected on the momentous occasion, saying, “It’s hard to believe it’s been six years since we started the middle school swim team. These three are part of our original team. It’s been such a blessing to watch them grow from crazy middle schoolers to such fine young men and women with promising futures and the world at their fingertips. I feel honored to have played a small role in their growth and development and to watch them grow into these awesome human beings.”
The inception of the middle school swim team was not just a program expansion but a foundation for future success. The swimmers, who joined as energetic and determined middle schoolers, have since dedicated countless hours to honing their skills, competing fiercely, and representing the Falcons with pride. Their hard work and dedication have left a lasting legacy on the program and set a high standard for future generations of swimmers. The initial 8-person team has now doubled to a team of 16 dedicated middle school athletes! The journeys of that original eight serve as an inspiration for the next generation of Falcons swimmers, showing what can be achieved with dedication, teamwork, and perseverance.
As the Falcons bid farewell to these three trailblazers and their three additional senior teammates (Victoria York, Ava Taylor Walker, and Michaela Stone) the impact of their contributions will continue to ripple through the program. Their legacy is not just about times and medals but the culture of integrity, service, and resilience they leave behind.
The O'Neal School
The O'Neal School admits students of any race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, genetic information, citizenship, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other basis protected by law to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, genetic information, citizenship, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other basis protected by law in the administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other school-administered programs.
© The O'Neal School