Girls Swimming: Blend of veterans, youth elevate Strath Haven’s goals

NETHER PROVIDENCE — With each passing championship meet last season, the expectations for the Strath Haven girls swimming team escalated. Each time, the Panthers somehow figured out ways to exceed them, to rewrite the program’s record board and set new standards of excellence. This season, with veterans returning and talented new faces added to the fold, the expectations are sky high from the outset. The objectives have been clearly articulated for this batch of Panthers.

“Our team’s just building and our program is getting better and better,’ senior Kate Lyons, who’s had the benefit of the long view of the Panthers ascendancy, said last week. “Everyone feels the need to work hard and earn their spot.’

The biggest guns in the arsenal are well established. All-Delco Frances Resweber returns for her junior year as one of the county’s premier distance swimmers, off a breakout PIAA meet that saw her break the hallowed five-minute mark in finishing 10th at states. Both super sophomores Summer Martin, who was seventh in the 50 free and 16th in the 100 free at states, and Camille Jablonski, who qualified for states in the 100 breaststroke and 200 individual medley, are also back. And the ranks are swelled by the addition of a number of talented freshmen, including Alex Sumner, who this summer qualified for the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials in two events while competing for Suburban Swim Club. You’ll notice among that constellation of stars exactly zero seniors. (Even the Panthers’ top two divers — sophomore Eleni Pappas, who finished 15th in District One in her debut season, and freshman Phil-Ann Dixon — have youth on their sides.) The only significant defection from last year’s core is sprinter and relay cog Katie Willis, who swam on both of the Panthers’ PIAA relays last season. While the Panthers boast a handful of seniors who’ll play key roles in providing depth in the dual-meet season, those veterans will also have a vital role outside the pool, trying to maintain a cohesive unit that they hope will become greater than the sum of its parts.

“Mostly, it’s just getting psyched for meets and getting excited as a whole,’ Lyons said. “We’re bonding the team together and introducing people to each other, creating a friendly atmosphere that’s fun for everyone. I think definitely, we have combined practices with all our girls and our higher-up swimmers, so that gets everyone mixed together and intermingling to create a really good team vibe, even for the young girls.’

Seniors like Lyons, fellow co-captain Jamie Taylor, and Megan Burns aren’t just cheerleaders; they’ll have contributions to make in the pool as well. Four or five swimmers don’t make a successful team capable of regularly competing in dual meets in a league like the Central League. And when it comes to trying to win meets, having savvy swimmers who know how to race, who know how to most efficiently get their hands on the wall in the “B’ and “C’ swimmer spots will be a boon.

“We like the B relay,’ Taylor said. “It’s still pressure so we still need to work hard. We still need to get points for us.’

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