Entering the grand FMC Natatorium pool, Freshman Emmerson Jones couldn’t help but look back on her first year on the Prospect swim and dive team. As someone who had been competing in club swimming since she was nine, Jones was initially nervous as to how she would adjust to a high school team, as well as how she would perform.
As she swam her 100-meter breaststroke through the pool, her nerves started to climb. Jones persisted, finally emerging from the pool wondering if she went fast enough to qualify for state. She felt overjoyed to look up at the board and see that she was in time to qualify for IHSA state.
“It was so exciting,” said Jones. “When I really needed it, I was so happy that I could go with these girls because I love them so much. I knew we could do it.”
Last week, Emmerson Jones, along with Sophomore Gracie Zimmer, Junior Karla Baird and Senior Alina Rimas all qualified for state for the 200-meter medley relay, with Jones qualifying in the 100-meter breaststroke.
The girls were able to make history for Prospect, as their relay team was the first to qualify for state since 2006 and broke a relay record for Prospect. Jones was also the first individual qualifier from Prospect since 2016.
However, what Jones was most proud of was the team she was able to bond with on the road to state. She reminisces about the relay team getting their nails done together, as well as long days practicing their exchanges in the pool, that made their state performance all the more worthwhile.
“It’s just a great honor,” said Jones. “I feel so proud of not only myself, but [also] our team.”
The community-building on a team like Jones’s is something that head coach Alfonso Lopez didn’t initially expect to pursue. After swimming competitively for 11 years, including at Prospect, Lopez got to college and thought he would be finished with the sport. However, after getting into education he became involved in coaching the girls team and never looked back.
Once at state, Jones placed 22nd in her 100-meter breaststroke, along with the relay team of Jones, Zimmer, Baird and Rimas placing 30th in the 200-meter medley relay. For Lopez, their state placements affirmed a love for coaching the sport he had grown up with.
“It’s really fun top go along with young kids as they set goals and achieve goals,” said Lopez. “It’s just fun to be there to calm the nerves and give them a focus and use what I’ve seen … to help them along. They do all the work, they do all the rest, and I just go for the ride.”
According to Lopez, being at state also presented ways the team could go even further in the future, now that the girls had achieved it once.
“We didn’t come into the season expecting this to happen,” said Lopez. “I think it’s really lit a fire under some of the other kids on our varsity that will be returning, to want to be a part of that and see how much more we can do.”
For Jones, a returning member and a freshman, the prospect of being able to come back and continue swimming with her closest friends is the greatest award of all.
“The community of this team and the environment is just friendly,” said Jones. “There’s barely any drama, everybody is kind and always smiling, and we’re all very positive every day coming to practice.”
