Prep swimming squads have hit the water

MAT-SU VALLEY — After the final gun sounds at the Northern Lights Conference swimming and diving championships, the Wasilla Warriors boys’ squad wants nothing more than to be making that final celebratory splash.

“The boys, we definitely want to win regions,” Wasilla first-year head coach Caryn Reid said. “I know that’s their goal.”

And if the Warriors do get the opportunity to swim that victory lap, it will be at least partly because of the work of a strong 400-yard freestyle relay team Reid calls simply, “awesome.”

Senior Tommy Hightower and three juniors — Charles Frey, Max Merriam and Christian Long — make up that squad.

“They’re a really good, strong group of boys,” Reid said. “They’re very competitive within that relay.”

Each of the four are also expected to do very well in individual events.

Reid calls Long, “an all-around everything swimmer.” The junior will compete in the distance, sprints and individual medley. Long’s strength is the backstroke, Reid said.

Frey’s strength is the freestyle, Hightower is best at the butterfly and Merriam is tops in the breast stroke, Reid added.

All four will also compete in the 200 medley.

Reid also sees the divers a strength on the boys’ squad.

Leading the group is junior David Kennedy.

“He’s showing really great signs of going to state,” Reid said. “Possibly winning state.”

Reid calls John Knowles, a newcomer to diving, a standout athlete who could also make an impact.

On the girls’ side, is another newcomer to diving who could impress, Kennedy’s younger sister, Rachel.

Reid said Kennedy — an athlete known for her skills in gymnastics — is making the transition to diving and has the potential to go far for the Warriors.

Another diver with potential is Josie Collins.

Junior Caity Stigen leads the swimmers on the Wasilla girls’ squad.

Reid calls her captain an all-around swimmer.

“She’s willing to do pretty much anything — distance, sprints,” Reid said.

Another swimmer who shows great versatility for the Warriors is sophomore Maddie Merriam. Reid said her strength is the breaststroke.

Among the top distance swimmers on the team is junior Christina Shattuck.

Reid said she also has a few swimmers on her squad who could soon make an impact for the Warriors. At the top of the list is Adam Swanson, a sophomore who is new to the sport.

“He has tons of potential,” Reid said.

The Colony Knights

As Dawn Brettrager, the longtime head coach of the Colony High School swimming and diving squad, scrolls down her roster, she can’t help but feel happy about what she has to work with.

There are 47 athletes on the Colony roster, the most of her tenure as head coach.

“I’m quite excited about it,” Brettrager said last week.

The roster presents a good mix of athletes, both young and experienced, Brettrager said. There are the key veterans and the young talent. There are athletes new to the Colony program, and others new to competitive swimming.

“We’re pretty well-rounded,” she said.

Brettrager also said Colony’s talent is fairly spread out. There’s no concentration of talent in one area.

Brettrager’s Knights also boast the largest number of boys on the team — 19 — that she has seen.

Among the top competitors on the boys’ squad, Brettrager said, are sophomore Jeff Frey and junior Rhowe Stafanski.

Frey’s strength is in the distance, while Stefanski is a sprinter. Brettrager said Frey was a standout during the first meet of the season, the Lathrop Invitational in Fairbanks late last month, posting career-best times in every event he swam.

Brettrager is also excited about her group of divers on the boys’ squad.

The Knights have a pair of veterans in senior Tim Schachle and sophomore Alexander Deedy. There are also two strong newcomers — freshman Harrison Lane and junior Brian Cox.

“The new divers are really impressive,” Brettrager said.

Schachle and Frey each advanced to the state meet last season.

Sophomore Katelyn Payne, a state qualifier as a freshman, leads the girls’ team.

“She can pretty much do anything,” Brettrager said. “All-around.”

Payne is strong in both the backstroke and distance, and last season she was just two one-hundreths off the Northern Lights Conference record in the 200-yard freestyle, Brettrager said.

“She certainly has her eyes on that this year,” Brettrager said of the mark.

Among the other leaders on the squad are sophomore Caity Crombie, sophomore Janessa Willard and senior Katie Nelson.

Crombie and Nelson will compete in both the individual medley, while Willard is an all-around swimmer, Brettrager said.

“We can put her in any event,” Brettrager said.

Another key swimmer could be junior Brady Day, a transfer from Palmer High School.

The Palmer Moose

Palmer head coach Kalea Myers is also excited about the number of athletes on her roster.

There are currently 26 swimmers and four divers. The swimmers are fairly evenly divided between the boys and the girls, something Myers certainly sees as a positive.

A pair of seniors — Kyle Johnson and David Psenak — lead the boys’ squad. Both compete in the 50-yard freestyle and the 100 breast stroke. Myers said Johnson’s strength is the breast stroke, and she considers the 50 freestyle as Psenak’s best event. Myers said Johnson has the ability to reach the state meet for the second straight year, and Psenak has a strong chance to place in regions.

Junior Tanner Shelton also has a strong chance to make it to the finals of the NLC championships. Shelton competes in the 200 and 500 freestyle events.

Palmer has a pair of swimmers loaded with potential, Myers said. Freshman Ry Obeso is swimming competitively for the first time, and Blake Branham is making the transition from swimming to diving.

Brahman will compete in the 50 freestyle and be a strong member of the Moose relay team, and Obeso will compete in the 50 and 100 freestyle events.

The Moose also have a pair of divers — junior Christian Gramquist and Richard Liebing.

On the girls’ side, Myers said junior Madelyn Peterson has a great deal of potential.

“I expect her to be strong in the Valley and also strong within our region,” Myers said. “She has very clean dives. She’s very graceful.”

Leading the swimmers on the girls’ team is senior Stephanie Miner.

“I’d like to see her place at regions in the 100 butterfly,” Myers said.

Miner will also be a key piece of the Palmer relay squads. Among the other top swimmers on the Palmer squad are sophomores Stacy Swindells, Katrina Larson and Irene Fry.

Swindells does well in just about whatever event she competes in, Myers said. Larson is strong in the 50 freestyle and moving into the backstroke events this year. Fry, a transfer from Colony, is a freestyle sprinter.

Contact Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com.