The Ludlow High School swim team has welcomed new coach Christine Callahan who replaced coach Karen Doyle.

Callahan, who is a special education teacher at the high school, began swimming when she was 7 years old, “It’s always been a huge part of my life,” said Callahan. She attended East Longmeadow high school and graduated in 2005. After that, she went the Gordon College in Wenhim Massachusetts, finishing in 2009 with a masters degree in special ed.

“I haven’t been involved much in swimming after high school,” said Callahan, “and I’ve been looking for a way to get back.”

Callahan has also coached at Baypath College, just one of four places she coached at in the past. “I want to see students in a different way than I do in just the classroom,” she said, but she’s “most excited about meeting new students that I usually wouldn’t see in my classes.“

The new coach said that he strength of the lions swim team is that the swimmers can handle staying underwater for long periods of time. However, “Our weakness is only having three boys on the team. For relay, you need four,” she said.

The team’s goal is to get as many athletes to Western Mass.

“I think coach Callahan is going to be an awesome coach this year for the team since she’s a talented swimmer herself,” said sophomore Zoe Hill, whose personal goal for this season is to take time off of her 100 breaststroke.

But regardless of the team’s outcome, Callahan will be satisfied as long as everyone improves.

“My main goal is to just make my athletes better swimmers,” Callahan said.