Swimming Preview: Warrior Girls Face More Competition

Posted: December 6, 2014
By ROBERT NIEDZWIECKI
The Winchester Star

WINCHESTER — When it comes to success against local competition, there isn’t a team in any sport that can claim as much success as the Sherando girls’ swimming team in recent years.

The Warriors won their fifth straight Northwestern District regular season title last year by defeating each of their Winchester-Frederick County foes in dual meets. And while there is no more official Northwestern District meet (Sherando won that each year from 2010-13), the Warriors victory in last year’s City-County meet was essentially their fifth straight district meet title, since it was run in the same fashion as the Northwestern District meet.

But Sherando no longer has three-time Winchester Star Girls’ Swimmer of the Year Kelsey Dingman and several other strong swimmers, and Warriors coach Joe Knight said he has to temper expectations for now because of his team’s youth and inexperience.

In short, Sherando’s going to have to work hard to stay at the top, particularly because the Warriors’ rivals have more than enough talent to emerge as the best in the district.

Millbrook and James Wood each have three swimmers who have ranked among the area’s top three in events over the last two years. And despite some heavy losses, Handley coach Tag Grove believes his team has potential to show great improvement over the course of the year.

As Knight points out, Sherando (fourth in Conference 21 last year) has lost a combined 20 girls and boys seniors over the last two years. But this year’s girls’ team does feature seven seniors, and one of them got off to a stellar start Thursday night in the team’s opening meet at Signal Knob Recreation Center, which saw them defeat an experienced Clarke County team that figures to be much improved, and East Rockingham.

Laura Ferguson — who placed 11th in the 50 free at the Group 4A state meet last year — hit the necessary qualifying mark right on the nose with a 26.09 in the yard pool. Ferguson, who added a win in the 100 back Thursday, should also excel at the 100 free.

Among the other seniors Knight is looking to this year are captain Brianna English, who ranked third in the area in the breaststroke last year and competed with Ferguson on two state-qualifying relay teams last year. She won the breast as well as the butterfly in Strasburg Thursday, and will also be counted on in the IM.

Fellow captains Kathleen Lauer (distance, backstroke) and Genesis Utz (distance) will also be big for Sherando, and sophomore Sarah Lauer, who Knight said put in a lot of hard work over the summer, opened the year with wins in the 200 free and 500 free at Strasburg Thursday.

Millbrook — which finished sixth in Conference 21 last year — returns two sophomores in Lindsay Fairbanks and Abbey Esslinger who qualified for the Group 4A state meet last year, and the Pioneers also welcome back junior Taylor Linder after a one-year absence because of a back injury.

“We’re looking to be at the top of the Northwestern District,” said Millbrook coach Will Sigler, whose team finished sixth in the eight-team Conference 21 meet. “I think we should do well at the City/County meet, and we hope to move up a few spots in the conference.”

Fairbanks placed seventh in the 100 free and ninth in the 200 free at the Group 4A state meet last year, and Esslinger placed 11th in the 200 individual medley. Sigler said Fairbanks — the area’s top swimmer in the 400/500 free last year — will look to have a strong year in that event this season. Esslinger also excels in the 100 breaststroke and 100 butterfly.

Though Linder won’t be doing the butterfly — the event she won the district title in as a freshman — this year to protect her back, she’ll contribute in the breaststroke and freestyle.

James Wood (seventh in Conference 21 last year) also returns a sophomore who qualified for the state meet in Zoe Schopick, and the Colonels will feature two other swimmers who were ranked in the area’s top three in individual events last season — junior Erin Jackson (100 backstroke) and senior Sara Fergus (400/500 freestyle), the latter of whom is comfortable in any freestyle event.

“We’ve got a lot of depth,” said James Wood coach Kaitlyn Knott, whose 23 female swimmers are the most of any area team. “There were some events we were thin in last year, but we’ll be better with that this year and I think we’ll have some strong relays. We’ve got a lot of people stepping up and dropping times.”

Handley might not have the services of senior Haley Morefield, a district champion in the 100 back two years ago, because of a shoulder injury, and Grove said they’ve lost their top five scorers from last year.

“But the other girls throughout the year kept stepping up and getting faster and faster,” said Grove, whose boys and girls combined for an area-high 12 region qualifiers out of Conference 23. “Instead of fourths and fifths they were getting firsts, seconds and thirds. Typically at the beginning of the season we’re just trying to see where we are, and at the end of the season it seems to work out pretty well.”

The Judges will look to Elizabeth Keim (breaststroke) and Jackie Martin (butterfly), and Kara Johnson and Kennedy Eagle should be able to fill a variety of roles.

At Clarke County, Eagles coach Carol Marshall brings back just about every key member of last year’s team back and features 19 swimmers overall.

The Eagles are headlined by senior Emily Deem, who placed second in the 50 free and third in the 100 free at the Group 2A/1A state meet last year. Deem ranked second in the area only to Dingman in those two events last year and ranked second to Schopick in the 100 butterfly, and she’s qualified for states this year as a result of swimming a time of 26.47 Thursday in the 50.

“Emily missed some training this summer because she was away at the Galápagos Islands, but I think she’ll get to where she needs to be pretty quickly,” Marshall said. “She’s a good role model for the young girls. She’s positive and has a strong work ethic.”

On the boys’ side, Sherando is the defending regular season champion in the Northwestern District, and with the Warriors losing seven seniors, the feeling among coaches is that the competition is wide open as to who might be the area’s best. Millbrook features only nine swimmers on its roster, James Wood has 10, Handley has 11 and Sherando 15.

The Warriors will be led this year by Jeremy Linaburg, Ethan Medrano, Hunter Mayo and David Restrepo, the younger brother of former Sherando stars Peter and Mark Restrepo. Each of those four won an individual event Thursday at Strasburg.

Though the Colonels lost the Winchester Star Boys’ Swimmer of the Year in Brian Baker, James Wood does feature the swimmer who had the highest state finish of any area boy or girl in senior Conor Babington. Babington placed third in the 100 butterfly and eighth in the 50 freestyle at the Group 4A state meet, and Handley’s Grove believes Babington has a legitimate shot at winning a state title in the fly.

“Conor’s up there with the best,” Knott said. “He works harder than everyone else each and every day. I don’t want to put too much pressure on him [in terms of his chances for winning a state title], but I think he has a good chance to reach his goals.”

Millbrook will be paced this year by Alex Morrow, who placed 10th in the 100 backstroke at the Group 4A meet. The Pioneers will also feature Chris Patton — who ranked third in the area in the 100 free last year — and one of their newcomers is freshman Patrick Northrup, the younger brother of 2012 Winchester Star Boys’ Swimmer of the Year Thomas Northrup.

Handley is expecting to get most of its contributions from the foursome of William Yuan (third in the area in the 100 fly last year), Alex Day, Cole Stevens and Scott Mikulec, all of whom are solid all-around swimmers.

Clarke County lost some top swimmers but returns Matt Nesselrodt, who looks to build off an impressive junior season in which he placed fourth in the 100 backstroke and sixth in the 50 freestyle. Matt’s younger brother Dylan, a sophomore, also qualified for states in two events last year, taking seventh in the 500 free and also advancing for the 200 free.

Marshall noted on Wednesday that the Eagles are swimming against each of the three Frederick County schools this year and thought they had a chance to give them a strong battle, and the Eagles only lost 49-45 to Sherando Thursday to open the season.

The following is glance at each area team:

Sherando

Coach: Joe Knight, 10th year.

Last year: Boys: Northwestern District regular season champions, 6th in Conference 21 meet, 6th in 4A North Region meet, 8th in Group 4A state meet; Girls: district regular season champions, 4th in Conference 21, 8th in 4A North, 9th in Group 4A state.

Key losses: Boys: Mark Restrepo, James Williams, Adam Dubrueler, Andrew Mathew, Tommy McVey; Girls: Kelsey Dingman, Brenna Sharp, Erin Cangiano, Meron Siira.

Top returnees: Boys: Chris Edwards, Sr., Jeremy Linaburg, Jr., Ethan Medrano, Jr., David Restrepo, So., Joshua Knight, Jr.; Girls: Laura Ferguson, Sr., Brianna English, Sr., Kathleen Lauer, Sr., Ashley Olenski, Sr., Genesis Utz, Sr., Abigail Sears, So., Emma Starustka, So., Kelsie Utz. Jr., Sarah Lauer, So.

Top newcomers: Boys: Cameron Gregory, Fr., Greg Crouch, So.; Girls: Mikayla Mohr, Fr., Madie McVey, Fr.

Knight’s outlook: “Mark Restrepo and James Williams were big losses for us because of their all-around ability, and we lost several other strong swimmers. We’re short on experience and depth. Last year we could sit back and lean on our senior leaders, but this year we’re going to have people step up and do more than they might be used to doing.

“We’re young and inexperienced on the girls’ side as well. The bulk our our team is sophomores and freshmen, but we do have some young talent. One of our captains said this is probably the hardest we’ve ever worked to prepare for a season, but I think they’ve responded well.”

Next competition: Today at Spring Mills (W.Va.) Invitational at Shepherd University in Shepherdstown, W.Va.

Millbrook

Coach: Will Sigler, 3rd year.

Last year: Boys: 4th in Conference 21, 12th in 4A North; Girls: 6th in Conference 21, 15th in 4A North, 14th in Group 4A state.

Key losses: Boys: Hunter Doherty, Danny Hollingsworth; Girls: Kaitlyn Oates.

Top returnees: Boys: Alex Morrow, Sr., Chris Patton, Sr., Hunter Edwards, Sr., Edwin Ben, So.; Girls: Lindsay Fairbanks, So., Abbey Esslinger, So., Taylor Linder, Jr., Abby McClellan, Sr., Sarah Jeffries, Sr., Maddie Treiber, Sr., Emily Lowman, So.

Top newcomers: Boys: Patrick Northrup, Fr.; Girls: Josie Morrow, Fr., Erin Dooley, Fr., Eliza Grisby, Fr., Amanda Olejarz, Fr.

Sigler’s outlook: “We hope Lindsey and Abbey can build off their state experience, and we hope the fact that they’ve been there will rub off the other girls and we can get more to states. We want to get some relays there.

“For the boys, we’re looking for Chris, Hunter and Alex to lead the team. Patrick Northrup is coming off a foot injury from cross country. His brother didn’t really take off until his junior or senior year, but I think he might have more drive than Thomas at his age, so he can do well right away.”

Opening competition: Today at Spring Mills (W.Va.) Invitational at Shepherd University in Shepherdstown, W.Va.

Handley

Coach: Tag Grove, 13th year.

Last year: Boys: 4th in Conference 23, 16th in 4A North; Girls: 3rd in Conference 23, 12th in 4A North, 13th in Group 4A state.

Key losses: Boys: Troy Bergin, Brennen Smith; Girls: Liz Grove, Aleksa Putnam, Eileen Wilkerson, Allegra Zamore.

Top returnees: Boys: William Yuan, Jr., Alex Day, Sr., Cole Stevens, Sr., Scott Mikulec, Sr., Chase Stevens, Jr., Jared Tufts, Jr.; Girls: Elizabeth Keim, Sr., Kara Johnson, So., Kennedy Eagle, So., Jackie Martin, Sr., Emily Snow, Sr.

Top newcomers: Boys: none mentioned; Girls: Quincy Morefield, Fr., Jenna Logan, Fr., Meredith Watts, Fr., Kristin Blake Sr.

Grove’s outlook: “With the girls, I kind of like where we are with this group of kids. We’ve got a lot of new kids, but they’re looking pretty good. It seems like every day they’re swimming a little bit better than I think they would. They’re working hard, and they’re attendance is up for lifting and swimming.

“Last year was kind of a learning experience for our guys. They swam and all got better, but they seem to be more serious this year, and they understand they’ve got to work hard to get faster.”

Opening competition: Today at Christiansburg Invitational.

James Wood

Coach: Kaitlyn Knott, 2nd year.

Last year: Boys: 7th in Conference 21, 14th in 4A North; 11th in Group 4A state; Girls: 7th in Conference 21, Tied for 16th in 4A North.

Key losses: Boys: Brian Baker, Luke Farinholt, Andrew Wood; Girls: Carter Hester, Julia Putprush, McKenzie McNemar.

Top returnees: Boys: Conor Babington, Sr., Sam McCarthy, So., Jared Arkfeld, Jr., Dean Ludwig, Jr. Girls: Zoe Schopick, So., Erin Jackson, Jr., Sara Fergus, Sr., Abby Fergus, So., Brooke Marcy, Sr., Laura Moss, Sr.

Top newcomers: Boys: Daniel Woodrum, Fr.; Girls: Abbey Esparza, Fr., Sophia Dorsey, So.

Knott’s outlook: “Zoe’s been working really hard on her stroke, and I definitely expect her to do extremely well. Last year Erin just missed the cut for states [in the backstroke], so I’m expecting her to have a strong year.

“We don’t have a lot of numbers on the boys’ side, but we have a lot of enthusiastic kids who are stepping up and working hard in practice.”

Opening competition: Today at Spring Mills (W.Va.) Invitational at Shepherd University in Shepherdstown, W.Va.

Clarke County

Coach: Carol Marshall, 13th year.

Last year: Boys: 4th in 2A East Region meet, 8th in Group 2A state meet; Girls: 5th in 2A East; 11th in Group 2A state.

Key losses: Boys: Greg Kruza, Andrew Walraven; Girls: Nicole Symonds.

Top returnees: Boys: Matt Nesselrodt, Sr., Blaise Guerin-Williams, Jr., Dylan Nesselrodt, So., Jacob David, So., Nick Almond, Jr., Jarrett Wagner, Jr., Levi Mayo, Sr., Travis Fairman, Sr., Gregory Shippa, Jr.; Girls: Emily Deem, Sr., Kelly Wallace, Sr., Abby Smetanick, Sr., Natalie Lyman, So., Michaela Harrell, Sr., Rachel Gay, So., Emma Jenkins, So., Eve Lettau, Sr., Piper Mettenburg, So.

Top newcomers: Boys: Cameron Shipman, Fr., Enzo de Rezende, Jr.; Girls: Makenzie Reshetar, Fr., Lauren Suling, Fr.

Marshall’s outlook: “I think our girls can have a pretty strong year. Most of them are seasoned swimmers who have shown a lot of growth. They’ve worked hard in the weight room and aren’t afraid of a little muscle.

“For the boys, it’s been interesting to see Matt Nesselrodt go from being the clown in the pool to the guy that says, ‘Hey, c’mon, we only have three days a week of one hour in the pool, let’s work.’ This team has been working hard, and our veterans recruited a lot of people over the summer. We have 37 people (boys and girls) this year.”

Next competition: Today vs. Strasburg and Madison County at Manassas Park pool.

— Contact Robert Niedzwiecki at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Follow on Twitter @WinStarSports1