STEPHEN DECATUR WINTER SPORTS PREVIEW
Seahawks welcome back strong competitors, first-time swimmers
LISA CAPITELLI n Staff Writer
OCEAN CITY TODAY/LISA CAPITELLI Stephen Decatur seniors, Katie Hansen, left, and Taylor Blazer work on their strokes at the Sports Core pool in Ocean Pines Tuesday. (Dec. 4, 2009) The Stephen Decatur boys' and girls' swim teams are ready to start their second year as a varsity sport with many of last year's top swimmers returning.
In its inaugural year, Decatur competed as a club team and only four boys participated. That number increased to eight last year, the team's first varsity season. This season, 21 boys are swimming, seven of whom are returners.
"It's exciting to have a full team and so far everyone is working hard," Coach Rick Caw-thern said. "We're very solid and I think we'll be competitive in every event."
Top returners include senior Bo Deskins, sophomore Jake Blazer and juniors Austin Deppe and Christian Yandle. They will swim in a variety of events.
Other swimmers back in the pool for the Seahawks are juniors Brandon Flakowitz and Garrett Neville and sophomore Bobby Layton. Newcomers, freshman Shayne Custodio and senior Chris Sterner are strong swimmers, Cawthern said, and seniors Josh Wilder and Andrew Murrell show great potential.
Decatur Coach Rick Cawthern Cawthern said the goal for the season has already been accomplished: having more swimmers on the team.
"That's what we've been working toward since the team started and now we have a full, dedicated group of people who are going to give it their all," said Deskins, who plans to swim for Washington College next year. "Everyone's learning their forms and getting down strokes quickly."
The Seahawks hope to win every meet and have a strong presence in the regional and state competitions, Cawthern said. The boys placed eighth at regionals and 17th at states last year.
The Lady Seahawks had a "pretty phenomenal" first season as an official varsity sport last year, said Coach Gwen Trice. The girls won all but one regular season meet. They lost to Queen Anne's, who went on to win regional and state championships. Decatur finished second and sixth, respectively, at the regional and state competitions.
Approximately half of the 17 swimmers were on Decatur's 2008-09 squad.
Decatur Coach Gwen Trice "Our depth will really help us. We have a lot of experience," Trice said. "We have kids that can win races and others that can get second and third, which is where we'll rack up the points to win meets."
Senior Taylor Blazer, 100-meter backstroke regional champion and state runner up in the 200m freestyle and 100m backstroke, will help lead the girls' squad. Other top returners include seniors Catelin Geiser and Katie Hansen and sophomore Brianna Carroll.
"We've grown a lot in the past two years," Blazer said. "We didn't lose many swimmers, so we're really strong this year and the new girls are working really hard."
Experienced newcomers whom Trice said show potential are freshmen Ali McLoota and Cailey O'Brien-Shields and junior Courtney Walls.
Trice said she wants to see the girls squad go undefeated this season but that may be difficult with stronger teams added to Decatur's schedule. Placing higher at regionals and states is another objective for the team, Blazer said.
