38 OCTOBER 2026 By Mark Hays As the high school swim and dive season gets underway, teams are balancing the daily work of practices and meets with the bigger goal of qualifying athletes for the state championships. Arcadia-area programs are entering the season with different strengths and experiences. Coaches emphasized that improvement, team chemistry, and helping athletes finish the season at their best are all part of the equation.  Arcadia’s swim and dive season typically runs through October, with athletes working toward the district and state championships at the end of the season. The program has approximately 35 swimmers and seven divers (four of whom also compete in swimming). For Coach Brittney Blystone, the season is about more than preparing athletes for competition. “The ultimate goal is to have our athletes perform at their highest level and continue improving,” Blystone said. “We want to qualify as many athletes as possible for state, compete at our best when we get there, and finish the season knowing we gave our best effort.” For divers, this season has included an especially steep learning curve. All seven are new to the sport, making each practice an opportunity to build new skills and confidence. Diving practices place a heavy emphasis on fundamentals and repetition. “Dive practices focus on technique, form, consistency, and learning and improving dives,” Blystone said. “We also spend a lot of time building confidence because diving can be a very mental sport.” Swimmers work on a combination of skills, including “technique, endurance, speed, starts, turns, and race strategy.” At meets, the two portions of the program have different formats. Divers are scored individually based on a series of dives, competing against athletes from other schools, while swim features individual and relay events. Blystone said meets give athletes a chance to compete and to see the results of their work in practice. One of Arcadia’s biggest strengths, she said, is its team culture. “Our athletes are supportive of one another and genuinely want to see their teammates succeed,” she said. The team also features “a great mix of experienced athletes and newer athletes who are continuing to develop their skills.” Arcadia looked forward to larger invitational meets, including the Brophy/ Xavier Invite and the Eagle Invite at Phoenix Country Day School, followed by the district meet and state championship. For the dive team, Blystone has a more immediate goal: “I am hoping that a few of the divers learn enough dives to be able to compete at our district meet at the end of the season. Just as importantly, we want our athletes to have a positive experience and build a strong team along the way.”  The Broncos enter the season with a new head coach and plenty of momentum. Robert Tolar has taken over as head swimming and diving coach, replacing recently retired Patrick O’Neill. “I’m excited to take on the head coaching position with such a great group of returning swimmers both in and out of the pool,” Tolar said. “The swim team has an incredible legacy that I’m humbled and honored to be a part of moving forward.” Tolar assisted O’Neill in 2025, helping lead the Broncos to the AIA Division I State Championship and a state-record point total. His coaching background includes assistant positions at Dobson High School, Mountain Pointe High School, and Brophy. The Broncos are the two-time defending state champions, and they opened this season by winning the Brophy-Xavier Invitational with 576 points – more than 400 points ahead of the second-place finishers and more than the top three teams combined. Brophy won nine events overall and swept all three relays. Nolan Guidry won the 200 freestyle and 100 freestyle, Brayden Harrison won the 50 freestyle, Finn Conley won the 100 butterfly, and Patrick Dunn won the 500 freestyle. Liam Ferguson also won the 100 backstroke, while the team opened the meet with a record-setting performance in the 200 medley relay. “I was really proud of how the boys came together to host the meet. Everyone not swimming was there to work and was very inspiring to the swimmers. They stepped up in a state qualifying meet. They swam incredibly well,” Tolar said. “The 200 medley really was really fun and set the meet record. It carried that momentum through the rest of the meet. We had some great standout and freshman performances.” With two consecutive state championships behind them, Tolar knows the Broncos can’t rely on their past success. “It is a legacy team where they know the job they have to do. The key is getting them focused. The ticket does not get punched for free. They need to stay focused and flex their competitive muscles,” he said. “It is important to show their sportsmanship and what we teach at Brophy to be a ‘Man for Others.’”  Phoenix Country Day School’s swim and dive season runs through early November, with competition concluding with the Division III State Championships on November 6-7. The program has 23 swimmers and four divers competing this season. The team practices early mornings on Mondays and Wednesdays and after school on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. At dual and tri meets held at home, swimmers can compete in two individual events and two relays. Divers compete a six-dive list that contributes to the overall team score. PCDS has started the season strongly, going undefeated through its first two dual and tri meets. The team was excited for several major competitions, including the Brophy/Xavier Dive Invite, the Eagle Invite with nearly 40 schools, and the Small School Championships. The program enters the season with a strong combination of returning talent and younger athletes. Last season, the girls swim and dive team won the Division III state championship. Senior Olivia Singer returns as the defending state champion in the 50 freestyle, while Julia Root is the defending girls’ state diving champion. Felix Lehmann also returns as a state finalist in the 100 freestyle and 100 breaststroke. That mix of experience and developing talent gives PCDS a strong foundation as the season progresses, but the team’s goals extend beyond individual results. “Our goal is to compete at our best and put ourselves in a position to contend at state while continuing to grow as athletes, leaders, and teammates,” Director Maddie Williams said. “We want our athletes to challenge themselves, lead by example, handle adversity with resilience, and support and celebrate one another along the way.”   Xavier’s swim and dive team competes in dual meets and larger invitational competitions. Dual meets feature two schools, while Saturday invitationals can include anywhere from six to 30 schools. Those are particularly important because, according to Head Coach Glen Coy, they are the only way athletes can qualify for the state meet in November. Xavier practices Monday through Friday from 3 to 5 p.m., following a regular weekday training schedule as it prepares for its biggest competitions. The Gators recently faced Arizona College Preparatory High School in a dual meet and won 124-63. Coy noted the result’s significance, pointing out that ACP finished third at the state meet behind Xavier last year. They are also scheduled to compete at their first invitational at Brophy’s pool and will face Desert Vista High School, last year’s state champion. The team’s biggest strength this season has been its versatility across events. “We are really strong in free and backstroke,” Coy said. “Overall, we do not have a real weakness. The team is pretty well-rounded this year.” That balance could matter as Xavier tries to improve its finish at last year’s state championship. The Gators have a clear target for the remainder of the season: keep developing quality athletes through invitational meets, and challenge for the top spot when the season concludes. 2026 high school swim and dive preview Arcadia High Xavier Prep Brophy Prep Phoenix Country Day School Felix Lehmann PHOTO COURTESY OF AHS PHOTO COURTESY OF BROPHY PREP PHOTO COURTESY OF XAVIER PREP PHOTO COURTESY OF PCDS

39 OCTOBER 2026 By Kylie de Best Over the past few years, women’s flag football has grown immensely at a national level. Participation has skyrocketed from 15,700 girls in 2021 to more than 102,000 today, making it one of the 10 most popular girls’ sports, according to The Gist, a women’s sports online platform. Now in its third season, Arcadia High has been part of this movement and shows no signs of slowing down. Head Coach Mike Kelley and Assistant Coach Grant Sardachuk (also known as Coach G) are still promoting and developing the program to encourage participation. Kelley is a Mental Performance Coach, and he brings a heavy influence to this role. He aims to build a program and culture filled with fun while challenging the girls and helping them learn valuable skills they can carry across sports and life. This is Coach G’s second year with the program, leading the team’s defenses and dedicating time each week to practices, meetings, film, and more to ensure the girls are given the support they need to succeed. “I joined this sport because of the graciously open arms every teammate has shown me, like I was already a part of the team,” junior Gabby Noderer said. “The connection built between every player is filled with laughter, enjoyment, and uplifting in every aspect.” At Arcadia High, the game is seven-on- seven, with four quarters of 12 minutes each and timing that follows fairly close to tackle football. Flag is a non-contact sport, although some blocking is permitted. “It is tactical on both the offensive and defensive sides of the game, and one of our great joys is to teach the fundamentals of both offense and defense to many of the girls who are just learning about the game and how to play it,” Coach G said. Practices take place two hours per day during preseason on Mondays and Fridays, with a varying schedule, as teams typically play two games per week, on Tuesdays and Thursdays during the fall. During practices, players focus on developing physical and mental skills. Coach Kelley believes in developing the girls as whole people, not just athletes. An extensive pre-practice ritual filled with self-reflection, goal setting, and affirmations helps athletes reset, stay present, and prepare intentionally. One exercise is a self-check with each player – how much sleep they got, how hydrated they are, and if they ate within a few hours of practice – to find the correlation between taking care of themselves and athletic performance. The physical side of the game focuses on drilling the fundamentals of various offensive and defensive positions, as well as learning how to play the game, with practices including seven-on-seven scrimmages to introduce real-time game experience. They also have days to watch videos from practices and scrimmages and discuss what they see to learn and improve. “Girls flag football is seeing tremendous growth at every level, and with opportunities to play at the NCAA level, high school flag football provides the opportunity for learning, growth, and development so girls can take advantage of those expanding opportunities,” Coach Kelley said. “We hope it provides the girls with new opportunities through high school and beyond.” The Lady Titans will play 12 games plus playoffs. Their first game, against Scottsdale Christian Academy, was a tough 41-0 loss, but junior athlete Meadow Nelson said that “this game was just the first of many and we are continuing to learn and grow as a team.” “It was a great experience to see how our team works together, and we will definitely be improving by and working hard in the days to come,” she added. As of now, the team has 27 girls. They have only a varsity team this year, but they hope other schools will continue to grow their numbers as well, allowing everyone to field both varsity and JV teams with full schedules eventually. “I love flag football because it is growing me as a player and a person, it is empowering and super fun!” athlete Brooklyn Howerzyl said. As the season continues, the team looks forward to seeing how they can grow together, both mentally and physically, and how far their hard work can take them this season. Girls’ flag football surges – Lady Titans join the rise The girls flag football team at Arcadia High School debuted in 2024. PHOTO COURTESY OF AHS By Mark Hays After nearly a decade of dreaming and more than four years of planning, Veritas Prep has completed a $1.6 million expansion of its football field, giving students and families a new place to gather for games, school events, and celebrations. The improvements include permanent field lights, stadium- style bleachers, a press box, and fencing upgrades designed to improve safety and traffic flow. The project was made possible through philanthropy, including a major commitment from siblings Rachel Lund- Sinatra (yes, that Sinatra) and Brad Lund. Veritas families, faculty, and athletes had been seeking improvements to the field for years, according to Brenna Norris, vice president of development for Arizona at Great Hearts, the charter-school network that operates Veritas Prep. “As a charter school that does not receive funding from bonds or overrides for facilities upgrades, any significant campus improvements are only possible through the generous philanthropy of our families and community supporters,” Norris said. The effort gained momentum in 2023, when the Lund siblings joined with the school around a shared vision for the campus. That led to the $1.6 million Flagship to Fruition capital campaign. The Lund and Smead families, along with other donors, contributed to the effort. The campaign focused on the field, but school officials viewed the project as an investment in more than football. “The goal of any campus improvement is to enhance the student, family, and faculty experience,” Norris said. “The project is more than a field; it’s an improvement to our shared K-12 space that not only hosts athletics, but elementary field days and events.” Planning began in March 2022, when Great Hearts started working with an architect and conducting a feasibility study. The completed enhancements were finished in September 2026. The result is a substantially upgraded venue for the campus, replacing some of the temporary infrastructure families had relied on for years. “The feedback from families has been overwhelmingly positive,” Norris said. “No longer do they need to stand to watch games under portable field lights.” The new amenities also give the school a setting where families can spend more time together during competitions and other events. “We have built a comfortable space where generations of families can gather in support of the Great Hearts mission,” Norris said. The project is also a tangible example of what private support can provide at a public charter school, where facilities improvements are not funded through local bonds or overrides. For the Lund siblings, the project means more than the physical improvements. They see Freedom Field as a place where students can develop confidence, discover their potential, and learn to pursue ambitious goals. “It is about giving our community and our kids a place they can be proud of. This is a place where they can dream, believe in themselves, work hard, and discover that their possibilities are limitless,” Rachel said. That message is also tied to their family history. Rachel said the field reflects the legacies of their grandfathers, Frank Sinatra and Walt Disney, both of whom built careers around turning ambitious ideas into reality. She said their examples reinforced the importance of persistence in the face of obstacles. Brad said he hopes students will experience that same sense of possibility when they take the field. Rather than serving as a venue for athletic competition, he envisions Freedom Field as a place where students can form friendships, build confidence, and begin imagining futures beyond what they may currently see as possible. Veritas Prep’s upgraded field is ready for cleats and calls Veritas Prep has completed a $1.6 million expansion of its football field. PHOTO COURTESY OF VERITAS PREP