The season has just begun for the swim teams and things seem to be going along just swimmingly. The boys’ team is coming off two consecutive state championship seasons.  It’s safe to say that our swim team is doing a little bit more than just treading water.

Head Coach Mike Gunner believes that the boys’ team will do well despite not being favored. “Right now Huntsville and James Clemens are favored, but that number three spot is up for grabs.” He also thinks that winning state will be a little bit more difficult this year than it was last year, but he still thinks his team is capable.

When Senior Team Captain Mark Johnson was asked about the team’s expectations, he stated that he knows the bar is set high. “We are supposed to win every year and this year is no different. We are training to try and take state again. A first place finish may be tough to accomplish this year, but a 3rd place finish is more realistic.”

Some of the team’s most important members are no longer with the team. The team is without two critical pieces from last year’s state championship team. Derek Sander won the 100 yard freestyle as an individual last year. Andrey Tretyakov won the 100 yard butterfly and the 200 yard individual medley as well. Derek graduated, and Andrey is competing in national-level events. While the team misses Derek and hates that Andrey is competing elsewhere, they still wish them both the best.

Meanwhile, the girls’ team has been in a little drought for a little while, they haven’t won a state title since 2007; however, Coach Gunner is sure prosperity awaits them. He believes this year is special in comparison to previous years because the girls are “starting to move up the ladder.” Though the boys’ team has been in the spotlight, it is nice to watch as the girls come out of the shadow cast by the boys’ success.

Despite the departure of those two members, the team is not lacking leadership. The female captain is Elise Rinehart, a sophomore who may be young but is arguably the hardest working person on the team. Coach Gunner really appreciates her being considerate of the team’s needs. She’s always asking ‘How we can get better? How we can improve? What do we need to be do?’  Rather than asking how can she as an individual can improve, she asks how can the team get better as a whole. Her male counterpart is Mark Johnson, a senior. Mark is veteran by all means of the word; he’s been on the team since middle school. He has the state champion experience, and he leads by example. Together the captains both know the value of hard work and hope to see it pay off December 11th at state.

Another thing that will certainly make this year a special one is that this is Coach Gunner’s last season. When asked if he wanted to try and slow down and enjoy every moment before he retires from his position,  coach said he wants to try and enjoy it and cherish every moment but he would also like to go out on top. The team felt similarly Mark Johnson said, “It is obviously an emotional time for us since is Coach retiring after 31 years, but it’s just extra motivation to try and send him out on a high.”

The future of swim and dive looks promising. The girls team has no seniors and the oldest members are two juniors. The team recently got a new diver, an 8th grader at Discovery named Daniel Phillips. Coach believes he has the potential to finish top three at state. The team seems to always dive right back in every year; expect them to make a splash this season.