Prep swimming: Warrior relay team has high hopes heading into state

WASILLA — A tight-knit corps of veteran Warriors is a threat to swim home with multiple medals from this weekend’s ASAA/First National Bank Alaska Swimming and Diving Championships at Bartlett High School.

Five Wasilla swimmers — a sophomore, two juniors and two seniors — make up three relay teams that are all within striking distance of the top teams in the state.

“They’re ready to swim and compete,” Wasilla coach Caryn Reid said Thursday.

At last week’s Region III championships, the Wasilla boys won the 200 yard medley relay and placed second in both the 200 and 400 freestyle relays. At state, the Warrior medley relay team of sophomore Christian Long, juniors Max Merriam and Charles Frey and senior Tommy Hightower will be seeded third overall, and posted a qualifying time less than seven tenths of a second behind top-ranked Dimond.

In practice this week, Reid said the focus has been on cleaning up the team’s technique in an effort to shave a precious few tenths off the team’s time.

“We’ve really been focused on their turns, starts and exchanges,” she said.

Wasilla’s freestyle teams also bear watching. Senior Cory Wagner will join Merriam, Hightower and Long on the seventh-seeded 200 relay team, while Merriam, Hightower, Long and Frey will again team up on the state’s fifth-seeded 400 relay team.

The group has been swimming together all year, and Reid said they’re formed a close bond as the season has progressed.

“They really pump each other up,” she said.

In relays, that’s crucial, because swimmers feel compelled to go all-out for their teammates.

“It’s very important, because they know they’re swimming for the team and not just as individuals,” Reid said.

Strength in the relays helped the Wasilla boys to a second-place finish at the Region III meet last weekend in Soldotna, and will again be the Warriors’’ forte at state. But when they’re not busy with the relays, Wasilla’s core group of swimmers will also be challenging for individual glory.

Long will lead the way for Wasilla. He’s seeded sixth in the 200 freestyle and fifth in the 500 — an event he won at the region meet.

“I expect him to do really well,” Reid said.

Charles Frey is also a region champion, and will look to add a state title to his resume in the 100 yard backstroke, where he’s seeded fifth. Hightower, meanwhile, will be looking to medal in the 100 yard butterfly, where he’s seeded eighth.

Diver David Kennedy, a senior, will round out Wasilla’s team at state. Kennedy, who placed third at regions, will enter the competition with the seventh-best qualifying score.

For the Wasilla girls, junior Caity Stigen will show off her versatility by swimming both the 50 freestyle and 100 breaststroke for the Warriors.

“And she swam the backstroke on our medley relay team at regions,” Reid said.

Stigen will be joined at state by divers Zandra Christiansen-Vivalis and Rachel Kennedy, a sophomore who won regions despite only taking up the sport this fall.

Kennedy (David’s younger sister) is one of the state’s top female gymnasts and Reid said she’s improved her diving technique by leaps and bounds throughout the season.

“She’s familiar with all the flips and twists and all that, but she also knows how to dive,” Reid said.

Reid said diving coach Larry Smith told her Kennedy — who will enter state seeded ninth — has a realistic chance to medal in the final meet of the season.

“She just keeps getting better,” Reid said.

Colony Knights

The Knights will send one of the school’s largest-ever teams to the state meet. With five individual boys, three girls and two boys’ relay teams, the Knights will bring a total of 15 swimmers to Bartlett.

“It’s been a long time since Colony has had that many at state,” sixth-year Colony head coach Dawn Brettrager said Thursday.

The Knights are led by Jeffrey Frey, who ranks as one of the top freestyle swimmers in the state after winning both the 100 and 200 freestyle events at the Region III meet.

“Jeff has been swimming really, really strong,” Brettrager said.

Frey, a sophomore (whose older brother, Charles, won the 100 yard backstroke at regions for Wasilla), will enter the state meet as the fourth-seeded athlete in the 200 and fifth in the 100, and Brettrager said he’s got a great chance to crack the top-3 in either event.

“I think he’ll have some success,” she said.

Frey will also swim on both of Colony’s state-qualified relay teams, including the 200 freestyle and 200 medley. Brettrager said the freestyle team in particular bears close watching, as the group finished just 3 one hundredths of a second off the school record at the region meet — and will be gunning for a new school best at state.

“They really want their names on the board,” she said.

Colony junior Rhowe Stefanski also qualified in two individual events, and is seeded eighth in both the 50 and 100 yard freestyle races. Like Frey, Stefanski will also be busy at state, swimming both relays in addition to his individual races.

Brettrager said Stefanski has the ability to make a splash at state in the sprints, as he’s shown steady improvement throughout the season.

“Rhowe has been dropping time in every meet — which isn’t easy in the 50,” she said.

On the girls’ side, sophomore Katelyn Payne has had to overcome a shoulder injury and bouts with asthma that have slowed her progress this season. Despite those obstacles, the versatile sophomore managed to qualify for both the 500 freestyle and 100 backstroke events.

“She’s a strong swimmer, she just hasn’t gotten the training,” Brettrager said.

Colony will also send five divers to state, including Alexander Deedy, Harrison Lane and Tim Schachle on the boys side and Suzannah Whitford and Jackie Schachle for the girls.

Mat-Su divers dominated Region III this season, thanks mainly to the efforts of diving coach Larry Smith, who has worked with divers from both Colony and Wasilla this season.

“Just the fact that Larry’s been working with them in the off season has really helped,” Brettrager said.

Palmer Moose

For the Moose boys, this year’s state meet begins and ends with Kyle Johnson.

Johnson, a senior swimming at state for the second straight year, qualified in both the 50 yard freestyle and 100 breaststroke events. Making state in two events is an accomplishment in itself, but it’s even more impressive considering Johnson has only been swimming competitively since his sophomore year.

“It’s really exciting for him because it’s only his third year swimming,” Palmer coach Kalea Myers said.

Myers said Johnson has gotten better in nearly every race he’s ever participated in.

“He’s just a natural,” she said.

Johnson qualified for state by edging teammate David Psenak in the 50 freestyle, but that hasn’t stopped Psenak from doing his best to help Johnson prepare for today’s meet.

“He’s been coming in and swimming with him,” she said.

Having only two Palmer swimmers using the pool in practice has opened things up for the bulk of Palmer’s state meet team, junior divers Chris Granquist, Richard Liebling and Madelyn Peterson.

“They’ve been able to get some more work,” Myers said.

Myers credited first-year Palmer diving coach Kerri Powell with enabling the Moose to earn three berths in the state finals.

“She’s just been awesome,” Myers said.

Combined with eight qualified divers from Colony and Wasilla, the Palmer contingent of divers means 11 of 40 divers at the state meet hail from the Mat-Su.

“Diving in the Valley is really strong right now,” Myers said.

Contact Matt Tunseth at 352-2265 or matt.tunseth@

frontiersman.com

Mat-Su Swimming and Diving State Qualifiers

Colony Knights

Boys

(3rd in Region III)

Jeffrey Frey, so., 100 freestyle and 200 freestyle; Rhowe Stefanski, jr., 50 freestyle, 100 freestyle; Alexander Deedy, so., diving; Harrison Lane, diving; Tim Schachle, sr., diving; 200 medley relay (Jeffrey Frey, so., Tim Cueva, sr., Rhowe Stefanski, jr., Evans Willard, sr., Corbyn Jahn, jr., Bryan Gary, so., Alex Lefolii, sr., Nick Brunger, so.); 200 freestyle relay (Jeffrey Frey, so., Corbyn Jahn, jr., Evans Willard, sr., Rhowe Stefanski, jr., Bryan Gary, so., Joey Nelson, fr., Nick Brunger, so., Tim Cueva, sr.)

Girls

4th in Region III

Katelyn Payne, so., 500 freestyle, 100 backstroke; Jackie Schachle, so., diving; Suzannah Whitford, jr., diving

Wasilla Warriors

Boys

2nd in Region III

Christian Long, so., 200 freestyle, 500 freestyle; Charles Frey, jr., 100 backstroke; Tommy Hightower, sr., 100 butterfly; David Kennedy, sr., diving; 200 medley relay (Christian Long, so., Max Merriam, jr., Tommy Hightower, sr., Charles Frey, jr.); 200 freestyle relay (Max Merriam, jr., Cory Wagner, sr., Tommy Hightower, sr., Christian Long, so.); 400 freestyle relay (Max Merriam, jr., Charles Frey, jr., Tommy Hightower, sr., Christian Long, so.)

Girls

5th in Region III

Caity Stigen, jr., 50 freestyle, 100 butterfly; Zandra Christiansen-Vivalis, diving; Rachel Kennedy, so., diving

Palmer Moose

Boys

7th in Region III

Kyle Johnson, sr., 50 freestyle, 100 breaststroke; Chris Granquist, jr., diving; Richard Liebling, jr., diving

Girls (6th in Region III) — Madelyn Peterson, jr., diving