Sequoyah’s girls swimming team surpassed expectations in 2015 when it finished fifth at the Class A-AAAAA state championships, despite having just 12 swimmers.

The Lady Chiefs bested that finish this season, improving to third with three fewer swimmers.

Coach Nell Hess said she knew Sequoyah would be strong based on returning talent, but she was not expecting the group to take another step forward.

“If we had come in fifth, I would have been ecstatic with less people,” said Hess, the 2015-16 Cherokee Tribune Girls Swimming Coach of the Year said. “I thought we would do well. I knew we would have the potential, but losing three people makes a difference.”

With her expectations slightly lowered, Hess said finishing third in the state made the season extra special.

“This season was different, because it was so unexpected,” she said. “We had three fewer swimmers this season. I figured we’d take a little hit there, but those guys swam out of their minds. It was unbelievable. To go up two places with less people was really special.”

While Hess was able to get see the Lady Chiefs record its best state meet finish in team history, the season was not without challenges.

The lack of numbers meant Sequoyah often could not fill every event in a meet, and scoring multiple swimmers in a single event was often out of the question.

“You don’t have as many people to put into events,” Hess said. “You start out in a little bit of a hole if you don’t have anyone in an event. If I move a kid from one event to another, I leave one event open for another team. It’s harder that way to figure out where everybody needs to be, but we made it work.”

Hess’ improbable run to consecutive top-five finishes has gotten the attention of other coaches.

“I take a lot of kids to state,” Etowah coach Virginia Diederich said. “We do well, but with the numbers she takes, it’s crazy. I think she really just instills in them confidence and dedication. Whatever she does, it just gets them fired up. It was that small team, but they made it their mission. She got them to look past that, look at themselves and just do what they needed to do.”

Hess said her secret to getting the most out of her swimmers is to keep pushing them while staying positive. She does not start out the season aiming at a high finish at state, instead trying to make sure each of her swimmers are put in the best possible position.

“I don’t really look at states, or even county for that matter, until we start getting later into the season,” Hess said. “I probably should look at things like that more, but I like to try the kids in different things. When I see someone who looks like they’re coming up and getting faster, I like to try them in some relays — just mix it up and switch it around until I need to make that final decision.”

Hess pushed the right buttons and had her team prepared for the most important meets of the season, but she is quick to give credit to her swimmers.

“Knowing all those swimmers and their work ethic, I knew we had the potential to do well,” she said. “To be honest, it was a surprise to do so well, though. Every girl swam her heart out and dropped a ton of time. They all swam amazing, and I couldn’t be more proud of the whole team.”

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