For anyone keeping notes, Generals could be looking at a successful season

  • brian questel
  • December 6, 2012
  • 346
                        
121712 WHSgirlsswim Promo: Blend of experience, youth could mean good things for Wooster swimmers For anyone keeping notes, Generals could be looking at a successful season By Brian Questel In case no one else did, Wooster girls swim coach Chris Matthew got the memo after her girl’s swim team won its Youngstown quad: The Generals could be very good this season. The Generals are off to a 4-0 start, defeating Firestone and then winning its quad meet with Harding, Canfield and Boardman for the first time in six years. That start made it clear to Matthew that as long as her squad stays away from injuries and sickness this could go down as a strong season. “We did great at Firestone and had some really fast races,” said Matthew. “I was really happy with the results. A lot of girls swam times much faster than how they started last season. We’re starting out in better shape comparing times – for example, Emily Cornelius was seven seconds faster in her IM than last year in the same meet. “We won the quad at Warren. Either Canfield or Boardman has beaten us the last five years – first Boardman and then we lost to Canfield the four previous years – but we were comfortably ahead the whole time. There was no stress – we had a good lineup.” The Generals have depth throughout their lineup with 23 swimmers and a trio of divers on its roster. The lineup is headed up by six seniors, all who emerged with letters after last season’s OCC championship. Cornelius (breaststroke/individual medley) and sprinter Jillian Perry, who were both district qualifiers last season, and will be joined by Alex Holmes (free/back), Katerina Linz (freestyle), Margaret Moodispaw (free/back) and Mariah Whitman (freestyle) head up that group. They will have support from a strong junior class. A healthy Gabrielle Sibilia (butterfly/back/free) is looking have a strong season, especially after opening with a 25.5 in the 50 free, while Madison Gingery will fit into the lineup in the IM and back but is also “good in the freestyles and a good 500 swimmer.” Lauren Miller can compete in all four strokes to help provide some balance to the lineup, while juniors Nicole McElroy and Lizzie Wagoner will give the Generals some punch on the diving board. A junior transfer student from Germany, Julia Kriegshammer, has performed well in the 500 free as well as the 50/100 free sprints. There is talent among sophomore class. Sprinter Sydney Wenger will specialize in the freestyle events in “all distances,” said Matthew. She will be joined by Allyson Amstutz, who “is a 200/500 girl,” Anna Tieche (fly/free), Brittany Collier (free/fly) and Allison Szukaitis (freestyle). Those three classes will have the support of a talented freshman cast, led by Jessica Bonezzi, “who can swim all strokes,” and Madison Whitman, whose “best” strokes are the IM, breaststroke and freestyle. Other ninth-graders are Samantha Brunn (freestyle), Megan Buss (free/breast), Kaitlyn Fast (diving), Bree Flinn-Johnson (breast/free), Jordan Gingery (free) and Meghan Bogner (free/diving). “Our top people are really good and our second and third sprinters are too,” said Matthew. “We’re great in the back and … all three relays are strong. The fly may be our weakness, but that’s only because we don’t have a ton of girls swimming butterfly.” Bonezzi will certainly help there. Firestone’s Katie Miller was invited to the Olympic Trials and turned a 57 Friday night in the season opener. “Jessica did 58 – no one has ever broke a minute that I have coached (in the regular season). Whitney Hooley never did it in the season – only in sectionals and districts – and that was eight years ago. Jessica went 58 Friday and 58 Saturday – she was phenomenal. We can put her in any meet and win. Other than her, though, we don’t have a lot of butterfliers, so we’re trying to get girls to swim that in practice and develop some depth. Our relays are solid across the board … I don’t know who is going to go where, but we have a good shot at all three making it to states. I haven’t said that in many years. “We had a great weekend,” she added. “They were tired of training all the time. Meets are fun and they got to see where they are. It was eye opening. We’ve have been working hard and we are going to keep training all season because the bottom line is it is all about February.”


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