On Saturday, Jan. 18 the West Henderson swim team let out a roar of applause for sophomore Ava Kilpatrick as she won MVP of the Western Mountain 3A conference swim meet.

The meet took place at the Buncombe County Aquatics Center near the T.C. Roberson Football Stadium. It started at 9:00 a.m. and lasted until 1:30 p.m. There were a total of 24 events at the meet with multiple heats for both boys and girls in each event. Kilpatrick swam in three of those events in the 50 yard freestyle, the 100 yard freestyle and the 200 yard medley relay.

The requirement to win MVP at the meet was to score the most points out of everyone who competed. Kilpatrick scored 40 points in her events. There were a total of nine teams that attended the meet.

“I was shocked because I didn’t think I was going to win MVP,” Kilpatrick said. “It felt like all the practices and work I had done paid off and that made me feel really happy and proud of myself.”

Kilpatrick has been swimming since she was seven years old and partakes in year-round swimming outside of school to stay in shape and to help her reach her future goals.

“Swimming is just really great exercise,” Kilpatrick said. “After I’m done swimming I feel accomplished with myself. My teammates are also a big reason why I swim because they are always there for me and they cheer me on.”

Kilpatrick will swim next at the 3A regional meet, which takes place on Jan. 31 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

By: Stone Hogan, Sports Editor