Ever since they can remember, swimming has been a passion in the lives of sisters Maggie and Liz Thomson, and now they are taking their passion to the next level as they swim competitively for the Aggies.

When Liz was offered the opportunity to swim alongside her older sister, she couldn’t pass up the chance.

“She went to school here and she really liked the coach,” says Liz. “So when he asked me to swim for the Aggies, I thought it was great.”

Liz adds that staying close to home was important to her as she considers herself someone who likes to be close to family.

“I am a person who likes to be home a lot,” she says.

Liz, who has been swimming with the Las Cruces Aquatics Team since she was seven, holds several records at various age groups in the 200, 500, 1000 and 1650 freestyles.

The elder of the two sisters, Maggie has been swimming for the Aggies for three seasons and had seen a new head coach every one of those seasons along with undergoing a transition to WAC last season.

“I was not going to swim my senior year, but after Coach Pratt got here last year and helped us turn the program around, I have improved so much. I can’t wait for this season,” Maggie says.

In the second season under Coach Rick Pratt, the Thomsons and their teammates are ready for success. The Aggies return 12 of 13 swimmers and signed 10 new student-athletes.

“We will definitely be much more competitive this year because we will have the chance to score more points,” Maggie says. “Last year we were half the size of every team we swam against, so to have a full roster is going to be a huge plus.”