In the PBL middle school swim championship at Brentwood School on Oct. 27, Archer placed first out of nine schools. Amelia Hines (’24) was been named MVP of the Archer team after earning 26 points in her individual events.

Hines won two individual events and was a member of two of Archer’s winning relays at PBL. Hines expressed happiness that she was named MVP.

“It feels kind of weird but kind of good, knowing that I did as much as I could for our team and I contributed to the success of the Archer [team],” she said.

A highlight of the season for Hines was a relay at the championship meet. The members of the relay were Hines, Zoe Griffin (’23), Flo Green (’23), and Lacey Thompson (’22).

“I think my favorite race was the 200 free[style] relay at PBL. It was the last relay of the whole meet,” she said. “It was just an all-out sprint and it was really fun.”

Outside of Archer swimming, Hines swims for Royal Swim Team, where she practices six times a week for two and a half hours. Hines feels that being on a club team has shown her that swimming is a team sport.

“It’s an individual sport so you do it for yourself. Everything that comes out of it is because of you,” she said. “But…also, you’re there for your team and you’re part of a team.”

Hines said she enjoys the dynamic of the Archer swim team and finds that the atmosphere of the team is very different from her club team.

“It’s really an emphasis on [the] team,” Hines said. “Everyone cheers for each other. It’s a great environment to be a part of.”

Lauren Sekula, the Assistant Coach, said that, typically, eighth-graders take on the leadership roles. However, Hines, who is in seventh grade, also became a leader on the team.

“She does a really great job of rallying the team, cheering on her sisters,” Sekula said. “She’s a really wonderful sportsman…sportswoman. She’s really committed, really dedicated and she’s just a gem to have on the team.”