Senior Swimmer Leads Panthers

Senior Swimmer Leads Panthers
• Natural born swimmer leads Peninsula High swim team to another successful season.Sophie Semenjuk, a senior at Peninsula High School, does not remember a ti me when she did not know how to swim.  The pool has always been part of her life.
 After spending a great deal of time around the water with her family as she grew up, she began swimming competitively at the age of eight.  
“I stuck with it because of my coaches and teammates,” Semenjuk said. “There were times when I wanted to quit the sport all together, but their laughter and support always kept me truly grounded on my team.”
In high school, Semenjuk has competed on the varsity swim team for all four of her years at Peninsula. She constantly balanced her school work and extracurricular activities with swim practice and meets.
Now a senior, Semenjuk is one of the captains of the girls swim team. She has developed relationships and created memories with the team that she will carry with her for the rest of her life.
When asked about the other swimmers, Semenjuk said, “I love my high school team with my whole heart and leaving them will definitely be a tough ‘see you later’. ”
In terms of the team’s success, Peninsula is in the middle of a great season. The team won first place overall at two different invitational meets as well as claiming numerous victories over schools in the South Bay. Looking forward, the girls hope to perform well in the final Bay League meet as well as advance in CIF.
As the season winds down, everyone is beginning to go their own way. Multiple swimmers on the varsity team are seniors and will be leaving Peninsula shortly. Semenjuk is one of the athletes who has decided to continue swimming in college.
“Whether it was on the school’s team, a club team, or in my free time, I knew I was a better person when I swam,” she said, when asked why she wanted to swim in college.
The University of Puget Sound, a liberal arts college in Tacoma, Wash., will be Semenjuk’s home for the next four years. She discovered the school on her own and loved every aspect of the campus, education, and college in general.
“I later learned that the swim coach wanted me on the team, and that I would fit in nicely there,” Semenjuk said. “From that point on, my love for the school only grew.”