PHARR-SAN JUAN-ALAMO (KVEO)- Whistle after whistle, the PSJA Lady Bears swam their way to 1st place in the District 31-6A meet.

“We feel so accomplished,” Senior Carina Campos said. “We did not give up throughout these years.”

Four seniors helped pave the way for the program. Micaela Gonzalez, Isela Ruiz and Carina Campos have been there since the start. These three welcomed their classmate Tanya Cardenas during their Sophomore year.

“To be included in all of this has been an amazing time,” said a teary-eyed Cardenas. “And winning district 4 times, has been even more amazing this senior year.”

The Lady Bears held a lengthy lead over their district competition on Saturday morning. Ultimately, coming in 1st place, securing their fourth-straight district championship title with a score of 209. Edinburg High finished in second, losing by a margin of 115 points to the winners.

“Since our freshman year we’ve been working very hard and each year it paid off,” said Senior Micaela Gonzalez. “Obviously we got four district titles, and I’m very proud of each and every one of us, and all of our teammates.”

Though this senior group is as close as ever, they’ve made sure to include and help their underclassmen teammates every step of the way. Preparing them for the day they won’t be there beside the pool to cheer them on.

“We all bring each other to other places like if we work out we’ll bring all the teammates to work out with us. In the water like during practices we’re all encouraging each other not to stop and to keep going,” said Senior Isela Ruiz.

PSJA ISD brought back their swimming and diving program just seven years ago. These seniors have been a crucial part of building it up. This season, they hosted the district championship meet, stealing the title one last time together in their new pool.

“Since our 7th-grade year of swimming this is something we’ve been looking forward to it,” said Gonzalez. “To finally swim here our senior year and win a district title here means the world to us.”

So now, for four seniors who paved the way, they hope to leave their legacy’s behind.

“I think we laid the foundation for the next couple of years for our team,” said Gonzalez. “We motivated the younger girls and showed them what it takes to become a district team and to qualify for regionals. I’m excited to see what’s left in store for them.”