The St. Teresa’s swim & dive teams, known as the “STARfish,” competed at the COMO Invitational at the Mizzou Aquatic Center Jan. 7. After 13 events, the team placed 23rd overall out of 31 teams.

For the swim team, each event contains preliminary rounds and a final race based on qualifying times. In contrast, the dive meet features each diver performing a series of dives displaying certain skills. The five required categories of dives, according to junior and diver Mary Kate Armstrong, are fronts, backs, reverses, inwards and twisters.

“Basically, you want to make yourself get through the first round, so you put all your [high-scoring dives] in right away,” Armstrong said.

After each competitor performs three dives, the number of divers is narrowed down based on their judge-awarded score. This happens again after two more dives; the remaining competitors compete in the finals. None of STA’s three divers competed in the final round. Armstrong placed highest of the three, reaching 25th place after the second round.

Notable performances on the swim team include the freestyle relay team of senior Libby Hutchinson, junior Maddie Adam and freshmen Brooke and Lauren Fallis, who placed 12th in the 200-yard relay and 13th in the 400-yard relay. With a time of 1:45:20, the team qualified for State in the 200-yard race. Hutchinson also placed 16th in the individual 200-yard freestyle and 21st in the 500-yard freestyle race.