Swimming since she was 10 years old, captain Sophia DeGennaro now leads the Woodland Hawks Girls Swim team. 

Receiving the award for All NVL Junior year, DeGennaro is known as an amazing swimmer and mentor to her teammates. 

“Sophia is a very good swimmer, and always encourages everyone to do their best,” said Tessa Sweetland. 

DeGennaro’s teammates truly look up to her, and see her not only as their captain, but also a friend. 

“She is so funny and always brings a smile or laugh if people are stressed or overwhelmed,” said Grace Zinko. 

“She is really sweet, very involved, and is good at making sure everyone is okay. If you need something, you can go to her; she is a very friendly person,” Sweetland adds. 

DeGennaro always brings positive energy to the meets as well as practices. No matter what, she always has something good to say and will always see the bright side of things. It can be hard to take on the role of being captain, but for Sophia DeGennaro, it comes very easily. 

 “You have to always work your hardest at practice because although it is tiring and may seem pointless, it always benefits you in the long run,” said DeGennaro. 

“You also have to make sure to have fun, and of course do your best, but most importantly make friends and have a good time.” 

DeGennaro has been part of the Woodland Girls Swim team since her freshman year, looking up to the seniors as a freshman, and now she is the senior that freshmen look up to. 

“My favorite parts are the team bonding and how we have all come together to win seven consecutive NVL championships.”

 DeGennaro hopes to keep the spirit alive as she is now senior captain and wants the same excitement for the underclassmen. 

“I love the environment of the team because while we always perform well and put in the effort at practice, we still manage to keep it light-hearted and form close friendships with each other. ”