Swimming Outlook

Posted: December 19, 2015

By ROBERT NIEDZWIECKI
The Winchester Star

WINCHESTER — The Sherando boys’ swimming team established a pretty high standard to follow with its success in 2014-15, but in some ways, the 2015-16 season has already surpassed it.

The Warriors went undefeated in the regular season — winning its second straight Northwestern District crown in the process — but the only person to advance to the Group 4A state meet was freestyle sprinter Ethan Medrano (50 and 100 freestyle).

Heading into Friday night, this year’s team — which only lost one senior to graduation — is also undefeated. But the Warriors have already qualified two relay teams for the Group 4A state meet, and junior Daniel Milburn has qualified for states individually in the 200 individual medley and 100 breaststroke. Each of those state cuts came in victorious performances last Saturday at the nine-school Sweet Inspirations Invitational at Shepherd University.

“Qualifying two relays so early means we’ll have a lot of tactical advantages that we wouldn’t necessarily have throughout the season otherwise,” Sherando coach Joe Knight said. “We can try some different things individually because we don’t have to go after a state time.”

With another year of experience and another year for their bodies to mature, Sherando’s core group of swimmers has been instrumental in the team’s success so far this year, and some key additions have made the Warriors that much stronger.

“The additions of swimmers like [freshman] Mathew Pham and [junior] Daniel Milburn have provided a lot of depth and versatility to the team,” Knight said. “Daniel’s grown quite a bit since he was last on the team, and he’s put on a lot more muscle. He’s really improved.”

After competing with Sherando as a freshman, Milburn focused solely on club swimming last year. (Milburn competes with Nation’s Capital Swim Club, which instructs athletes at several facilities around the Washington, D.C. area.)

Milburn was impressive as a freshman, ranking third in the area in the 400 freestyle and 200 individual medley. But he did not qualify for the state meet in any event that year.

In addition to qualifying for states individually, Milburn teamed with Medrano (Sweet Inspirations 50 and 100 free champ), Hunter Mayo (backstroke champ) and Jeremy Linaburg (third in the area in the 100 breastroke last year) to qualify for states in the 200 medley relay, and combined with Medrano, Mayo and David Restrepo (butterfly champ) to qualify for states in the 200 free relay.

Though the path to qualifying for regionals will be eased a bit for Frederick County schools because they only have to compete against one school from talent-rich Loudoun County instead of five, winning a team championship will be an arduous task for the Warrior boys. Woodgrove, the one Loudoun County school in Conference 21A, won the Conference 21 title last season.

Many of last year’s top area boys’ swimmers graduated, but coaches at the other area schools have reasons for optimism.

James Wood no longer has the services of Conor Babington, The Winchester Star Boys’ Swimmer of the Year last season who took second in both the 50 free and 100 free at the Group 4A state meet.

But Babington was the only Colonel senior last year, and first-year head coach Liz Mumaw said the team is excited about having a more experienced roster, and a larger roster. The Colonels have 12 swimmers after having only nine last year. Senior Dean Ludwig (backstroke, butterfly) and junior Sam McCarthy (500 free, IM) each had two top-five finishes at the Sweet Inspirations meet.

The Millbrook boys only have six swimmers, but head coach Will Sigler said they’ve developed a strong bond, and sophomore Patrick Northrup has gotten off to a hot start. Northrup won both the 200 free and 500 free at the Sweet Inspirations Invitational.

Like Sherando with Milburn, the Judges also welcome back a talented swimmer who stepped away from its program to focus on other things.

Senior Carter Watts, a state doubles champion in tennis, starred for the Judges as a freshman swimmer, qualifying for states in the 100 backstroke. He’ll also compete in the 50 and 100 free. The Judges also bring back William Yuan. The senior was second in the area in the 100 butterfly last year, but because of a shoulder injury Handley coach Tag Grove said he’ll be focusing on the sprint freestyle events, and possibly the breaststroke.

Much like James Wood, Clarke County lost one of the top swimmers in its school’s history in Matt Nesslerodt. But the Eagles still feature his junior brother Dylan (seventh at the Group 2A state meet in the 200 free, all-state) and add his freshman brother Ryan, who head coach Carol Marshall says is swimming comparable times to Matt’s when Matt was a freshman.

Clarke County also features Jacob David (second in the area in the 500 free last year) and Jarrett Wagner (seventh in the 100 breast in Group 2A). The Eagles bring back every member of the 200 free relay team that placed sixth in Group 2A last year.

On the girls’ side, Sherando isn’t undefeated like its boys team, but the Warriors have already defeated defending Northwestern District champion Millbrook in a dual, and the Warriors also won the Sweet Inspirations meet.

Almost half of Sherando’s team is made up of freshmen (11 of 25), but Knight said the girls also have a lot of depth and versatility. Knight said he’s been particularly impressed with junior Sarah Lauer, who earned all-meet honors at Sweet Inspirations after taking second in the 200 free and 500 free.

The Pioneer girls finished higher than all of their local competitors at every postseason meet last year, and led by the talented trio of Lindsay Fairbanks, Abbey Esslinger and Taylor Linder, the Pioneers could repeat that feat.

Each of those three competed in two individual events at the state meet last year. The Winchester Star Girls’ Swimmer of the Year Fairbanks earned all-state honors in the 500 free (third) and 200 free (fifth), Esslinger was all-state in the 200 IM (sixth) and placed ninth in the 100 butterfly, and Linder tied for 10th in the 50 free and took 11th in the 100 free.

The James Wood girls also bring back a talented group of swimmers. Leading the way are Zoe Schopick, (eighth in the 200 IM, 11th in the 100 fly), and Erin Jackson (eighth in the 100 backstroke).

Among Handley’s returnees are Meredith Watts, a state qualifier in both the 50 free and 100 free last year. Handley coach Tag Grove believes the versatile Quincy Morefield (third in the area in the 400/500 free) and freshman Mackenzie Fergus (backstroke, distance freestyle) also have an excellent chance to qualify for states this year.

As far as the Conference 21A race, Grove believes his girls’ team — whose season includes a dual win over James Wood — could contend for the team title. Woodgrove is the top returning team after having taken third at the conference meet last year. The Wolverines still boast plenty of talent, including state 200 and 500 free state champion Keely Hemminger, and fellow all-state swimmer Kacey Hauck.

Though Clarke County lost some talented swimmers, Marshall believes this year’s team might be stronger because of the addition of a talented group of freshmen, who have meshed well with a strong corps of returning swimmers. Clarke County already has posted dual meets wins against both Sherando (89-80) and Millbrook (93-71) this season.

Junior Natalie Lyman earned all-state honors by taking sixth in the 100 breaststroke last year in Group 2A, and one of the Eagles’ freshmen is her sister Maeve, who has yet to compete this year because of an injury. Another member of Clarke County’s freshmen contingent is Stephanie Miller, who won the 100 fly against Sherando and the 500 free against Millbrook.

The next competition for Handley, James Wood, Millbrook and Sherando is today’s City-County Holiday Sprints swim meet at Jim Barnett Park’s War Memorial Building, which starts at 7:45 a.m. Just like last year, each event will be half the length than it normally is in a regular meet. Clarke County competes at 7:30 p.m. today against Jefferson (W.Va) at Shepherd University.

Here’s a look at the area teams:

Sherando

Coach: Joe Knight, 11th season.

Last year: Boys: 6th in Conference 21, 17th in 4A North Region, 31st in Group 4A; Girls: 6th in conference, 14th in region, 21st in state.

Key losses: Boys: Christian Edwards. Girls: Laura Ferguson, Brianna English, Kathleen Lauer, Ashley Olenski, Genesis Utz, Clare Milburn.

Top returners: Boys: Ethan Medrano, Sr. Jeremy Linaburg, Sr., Jacob Adams, Sr., David Restrepo, Jr. Hunter Mayo, Jr. Alex Ferguson, Jr., Gregory Crouch, Jr.; Cameron Gregory, So., Heston Phillips, So. Tanner Utz, So., Rian Bigsby, So. Girls: Sarah Lauer, Jr., Kelsey Utz, Sr., Emma Starustka, Jr., Katelyn Shea, Jr., Abigail Sears, Jr., Mikayla Mohr, So., Madie McVey, So., Breanna Keefer, So., Lauren Heskett, So.

Top newcomers: Boys: Dan Milburn, Jr. (swam on team two years ago), Mathew Pham, Fr; Bryson Waits, Jr. Girls: Victoria Reese, Sr. (swam on team two years ago), Bailey McGill, Sr., (last swam two years ago), Anne Restrepo, Fr., Hannah Starustka, Fr., Camyrn Ubert, Fr., Stella Williams, Fr., Katherine Wright, Fr.

Knight’s outlook: “The boys had a great preseason. Our captains Greg Crouch and Jeremy Linaburg really took control of the team as far as running on the track and lifting weights, and we’re seeing that work pay off right now. We’re young and inexperienced on the girls’ side, but everyone’s really pushing each other. At the Sweet Inspirations meet, we were in third place halfway through, but we came storming back. Our relays really came together to help us pull it out.”

Millbrook

Coach: Will Sigler, 4th season.

Last year: Boys: 5th in Conference 21, 14th in 4A North Region, 30th in Group 4A; Girls: 4th in conference, 8th in region, 11th in state.

Key losses: Boys: Alex Morrow, Chris Patton. Girls: Abby McClellan, Madeline Treber, Emily Jones.

Top returners: Boys: Patrick Northrup, So., Edwin Ben, Jr., Curtiss Fredricks, Jr., Zach Hicks, So., Nathan Wiens, So. Girls: Lindsay Fairbanks, Jr., Abbey Esslinger, Jr., Taylor Linder, Sr., Eliza Grigsby, So., Amanda Olejarz, So.

Top newcomers: Boys: Austin Devart, Sr. Girls: Rylee Learn, Sr., Emily Learn, So., Blair Compton, Fr., Kristen Smith, Fr., Kaylee Barker, Fr.

Sigler’s outlook: “When people ask about our girls’ team I tell them we’re small, but we’re mighty. We’re not as deep as some other teams, but we’re winning a lot of events. Having a lot of people near the top should help us out in the larger meets and for the conference meet, and we should be able to put together some strong relay teams this year. It’s tough having so few swimmers on the boys’ side. But we’re able to put together three relay teams, and we’ll rotate who does what from meet to meet so we’re as balanced as we can be in all the strokes. They’re a close group, so that helps.”

James Wood

Coach: Liz Mumaw, 1st season.

Last year: Boys: 8th in Conference 21, 20th in 4A North Region, 17th in Group 4A; Girls: 5th in conference, 12th in region, 16th in state.

Key losses: Boys: Conor Babington. Girls: Sara Fergus, Ellen Legge, Brooke Marcy, Lauren Moss, Katie Schott, Abby Fergus.

Top returners: Boys: Jared Arkfeld, Sr., Ping Lin, Jr., Dean Ludwig, Sr., Jacob Filbert, Sr., Sam McCarthy, Jr., Daniel Woodrum, So. Girls: Zoe Schopick, Jr., Erin Jackson, Sr., Katherine Alaniz, Sr., Hannah Cavanaugh, Jr., Abbey Esparza, So,, Halle Esparza, Sr., Gabrielle Green, Jr., Katie Sunderlin, Jr., Lydia Sunderlin, Jr., Whitney Merryman, Jr.

Top newcomers: Boys: David Dorsey, Fr., Brian Hua, Fr., Jacob Lane, Fr., Keeyan McDonald, Fr. Girls: Mackenzie Canby, Fr., Taylin Crosen, Fr., Kawai Kaaukai-Cole, Jr.

Mumaw’s outlook: “The girls performed well at Sweet Inspirations, and one thing we like about them is that they’re so well-rounded and are able to swim so many different events. Zoe already has her state cut in the 100 fly. She didn’t get that until late in the season last year. The boys are excited, because with more numbers, we have more options. We had four people make the all-meet team at Sweet Inspirations, and it was great to see one of our seniors bring them all together and encourage them to work even harder.”

Handley

Coach: Tag Grove, 14th season.

Last year: Boys: 3rd in Conference 23, 13th in 4A North Region, 24th in Group 4A; Girls: 3rd in conference, 16th in region; 23rd in state.

Key losses: Boys: Alex Day, Cole Stevens, Marcus Bannister, Scott Mikulec. Girls: Emily Snow, Jackie Martin.

Top returners: Boys: William Yuan, Sr., Chase Stevens, Sr., Jared Tufts, Sr., Chris Will, Sr., Ian Zygmunt, Jr., Silas Bell, So. Girls: Meredith Watts, So., Kristen Blake, So., Kennedy Eagle, Jr., Morgan Grove, Sr., Liz Keim, Sr., Jenna Logan, So., Catherine Love, So., Linsey Martin, So., Quincy Morefield, So.

Top newcomers: Boys: Carter Watts, Sr. (last swam three years ago); John Kane, Fr., Kyle Kremer, Jr., Brady Noll, So., Rikesh Subedi, Sr., Brian Tufts, Fr. Girls: Mackenzie Fergus, Fr., Catherine Keim, Fr., Madison Nail, Jr., Emma Young, Fr.

Grove’s outlook: “I think this is one of the best girls’ teams we’ve had in a while. We don’t have a superstar like we had with Liz [Grove] a few years ago, but we have a lot of balance. If we can get people in the right spots and everyone is swimming well at the end of the season, I think we have a shot at winning the conference. The boys have picked things up pretty well. We lost by one to James Wood even though we didn’t have [Yuan] for that meet, then we came back and managed well against 20 or so schools in an invitational at Christiansburg, which was good to see.”

Clarke County

Coach: Carol Marshall, 14th season.

Last year: Boys: 5th in 2A East Region, 4th in Group 2A; Girls: 6th in region, fifth in state.

Key losses: Boys: Matt Nesslerodt, Eric Asan. Girls: Emily Deem, Kelly Wallace, Michaela Harrell, Abby Smetanick.

Top returners: Boys: Jacob David, Jr., Jarrett Wagner, Sr., Dylan Nesslerodt, Sr., Blaise Guerin-Williams, Sr., Logan Thoresen, Jr. Girls: Rachel Gay, Jr., Natalie Lyman, Jr., Piper Mettenburg, Jr., Makenzie Reshetar, So., Lauren Suling, So.

Top newcomers: Boys: Eamon Juday, Fr., Ryan Nesslerodt, Fr., Josh Wallace, Jr., Mackie Martin, Jr. Girls: Emily David, Fr., Cynthia Fairbanks, Fr., Anne Herndon, Fr., Maeve Lyman, Fr., Stephanie Miller, Fr.,

Marshall’s outlook: “I think the boys are going to be better now that we have a full squad. We were missing five people because of football. In the past we’ve had to build around two or three swimmers, but this year our depth and versatility should allow us to play with a lot of different events. I think the girls are more cohesive this year. We have a lot of strong swimmers back and have a really talented freshmen class, and they’re working well together.”

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