A Festive Finish: Christmas Relays for Grace Swimming at East Texas Aquatics

December 15, 2025 – The holiday spirit was on full display on December 12 as swimmers gathered at East Texas Aquatics for the annual Christmas Relays, a meet that blended fast swimming with plenty of seasonal fun. Families from across East Texas—representing 11 teams and 150 swimmers from both private and public schools—came together for a morning that truly felt like a celebration.

This year’s theme was “The 12 Days of Christmas,” and the meet delivered in a creative
fashion. Swimmers competed in 12 non-traditional relay events, each one inspired by a day
from the beloved Christmas song. From start to finish, the atmosphere was joyful and energetic, with teammates cheering loudly and parents and grandparents enjoying every festive moment.

To add to the fun, the heat winners of each relay received a special ornament straight from the Christmas tree—memories that will last well beyond the season. The excitement built all the way to the 12th and final relay, a thrilling team Santa shootout race. In this event, one team was eliminated each heat, raising the stakes with every round. Grace battled through the shootout and remained in contention until the very end, setting up a dramatic head-to-head showdown with Nacogdoches. Anchoring the final race for Grace was Mollie Mathis, who gave an outstanding effort and was narrowly touched out by the fastest
swimmer from Nacogdoches in a photo-finish ending.

The Christmas Relays were the perfect way to usher in the holiday season and set the tone for
focused Christmas and New Year’s training. The team will return to competition in the new year
at the Duck Dash Meet on January 3rd in Lufkin, hosted by Hudson High School. With
momentum from this festive meet and plenty of hard work ahead, the swimmers are excited to
dive into 2026 together.