2018 Girls Swimming Capsule Previews
(as submitted by coaches)
ADELSON SCHOOL
Head coach: Becky Lamph, ninth season
Returning letter winners: Four
Top athletes: Leemor Aizenberg (Sr.), Elisabeth Kac (Jr.), Rebecca Winger (So.), Vanessa Voltz (Fr.)
Outlook: Aizenberg was a Class 3A state meet qualifier in both the 100-yard butterfly and 100 freestyle. She, Kac and Winger each swam on two relays at the state meet.
“We have a strong group of returning girls as well as some newcomers who should make a contribution,” Lamph said.
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BISHOP GORMAN
Head coach: Michael Kinross, second season
Top athletes: Caroline Anderson (Jr.), Emma Breslin (So.), Olivia Gordon (So.), Devyn Windgender (Jr.)
Outlook: Gordon was the Sunset Region champion in diving and joined Breslin and Anderson on the all-region first team. Windgender was a second-team all-region honoree.
“We are returning almost all of scoring athletes,” Kinross said. “With many new teammates coming out, we are excited for the new season.”
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BONANZA
Head coach: Kathryn Patzke, second season
Returning letter winners: Two
Outlook: The Bengals are deeper this season and hoping for better results.
“Our team is twice as big as last year, so I’m hopeful to get more points on the board this year,” Patzke said.
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BOULDER CITY
Head coach: Sara Carroll, 25th season
Top athletes: Rose Pouch (Jr.), Aimee Garcia (Jr.), Quinci Thomas (So.), Annike Freiburger (Jr.)
Outlook: The Eagles have a strong chance to run their string of state championships to six.
Pouch, Garcia and Thomas all swam in two events and on two relays at last year’s state meet, and Freiburger also went to state in two events.
“We have lots of new swimmers,” Carroll said. “Our girls should be pretty solid even though we lost four or five top girls.”
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CENTENNIAL
Head coach: Jasmine Reuel, eighth season
Returning letter winners: Ten
Outlook: The Bulldogs return 10 letter winners, but are a young team.
“We have a lot of incoming freshmen this year so it is going to be a very new team,” Reuel said. “We only have two returning seniors so it is going to a growing year for us again this season.”
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CHAPARRAL
Head coach: Megan Stanley, second season
Top athletes: Rebekah Terry (Jr.), Lana Simmonds (Sr.)
Outlook: The Cowboys placed sixth in last year’s Class 3A Southern Region meet, but return only a handful of swimmers.
“After a great season last year, we are excited to continue with our hard work and dedication this season,” Stanley said.
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CHEYENNE
Head coach: Joann Fukuma, first season
Top athletes: Tallyn Clark (Sr.), Khayla Ruiz (Sr.), Alejandra Alvarado (Jr.), Noella Oviol (Jr.), Ludovica Piccioli (Sr.), Isabella Munafo (So.)
Outlook: The Desert Shields are young with only three seniors on their roster.
They’re hoping to improve each week.
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CIMARRON-MEMORIAL
Head coach: Heather Scott, first season
Outlook: The Spartans are hoping for a successful season as they work on improving each week.
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CLARK
Head coach: Ruth Calkins, eighth season
Top athletes: Samantha DiFulvio (Sr.), Lilian Huynh (Sr.), Adrienne Kim (Jr.), Skylar Shannon (So.), Lauryn Tsai (Sr.)
Outlook: DiFulvio, Huynh, Kim, Shannon and Tsai all established region qualifying times in all events last year and return to lead the Chargers.
“The team will be competitive and should have two or three athletes qualify for the state meet,” Calkins said.
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CORONADO
Head coach: David Stump, eighth season
Returning letter winners: Nineteen
Top athletes: Alexis Edmonds (Sr.), Anna Scott (Jr.), Gabby Wood (Jr.)
Outlook: The two-time defending Sunrise Region champions bring back 19 letter winners, but lost some key contributors from last season.
Edmonds (diving), Scott and Wood (both 200 freestyle relay) all qualified for the state meet last year.
“We are going to be a pretty young team this year,” Stump said. “We lost some major points to graduation, and we will have to see how well our underclassmen, especially our freshman class, step up under the pressure of regionals and state.
“As always, our No. 1 goal is to win regionals (for the third straight year) and place in the top three at state. It will be a fun season to watch.”
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DEL SOL
Head coach: Kenneth Belknap, fifth season
Returning lettermen: One
Top athletes: Bella Bindrup (Jr.), Brynn Sproul (Sr.), Julie Robles (Jr.)
Outlook: The Dragons will have mostly new faces this year.
Robles was a Class 3A Southern Region finalist in the 200-yard individual medley last year.
“This will be a rebuilding year as a whole for the team,” Belknap said. “We had almost all of our team graduate this last year. It’s a very young group in age and to swimming but there should be some individuals competing for a spot in the state meet and possibly for an individual state title.”
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DESERT PINES
Head coach: Tracy Cahill, second season
Returning letter winners: Three
Top athletes: Jenny Bolke, Denise Meza, Anna Snavely
Outlook: Snavely qualified for the Class 3A state meet in the 100-yard breaststroke last year.
She’s one of three returning letter winners for the Jaguars.
“We hope to send our previous girls state qualifier along with others and a relay team to state,” Cahill said.
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DURANGO
Head coach: Sarah Jacques, second season
Top athletes: Alyssa De Luna (Jr.)
Outlook: The Trailblazers remain a young team, but are hoping to continue laying the foundation for many successful seasons.
“We’re looking forward to continuing to build a strong swim team at Durango High School,” Jacques said. “The team is young. All freshmen from last year are returning, and many of the new team members are freshmen this year.”
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FAITH LUTHERAN
Head coach: Stephen Blank, 15th season
Top athletes: Sophia Rubino (So.), Maddie May (Jr.)
Outlook: The Crusaders are hoping for a successful season.
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GREEN VALLEY
Head coach: Bob Swift, 16th season
Returning letter winners: Fifteen
Top athletes: Zaida Ascencion (So.), Liz Clinch (Sr.), McKenna Houlihan (Jr.), Victoria Navarro (Sr.)
Outlook: The Gators finished second at state for the third straight year last season.
Navarro returns as the defending state champion in both the 100-yard and 200 freestyles.
Clinch was second in the 100 butterfly and 100 backstroke.
The Gators have plenty of talent, but must make up for the loss of Abigail Richter to graduation. Richter won two individual state titles in each of the past three seasons.
“We hope to compete for the Sunrise Region title and challenge Palo Verde’s dominance at state,” Swift said.
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LEGACY
Head coach: Casey Renton, seventh season
Top athletes: Vivica Craig (Jr.), Alyssa Hawkins (So.), Isabella Schutte (Jr.)
Outlook: Craig, Hawkins and Schutte all swam on the 200-yard medley and 400 freestyle relay teams that finished seventh at last year’s Class 4A state meet.
“Although several senior state winners have left, we still have a solid group of veteran swimmers,” Renton said. “We will once again be a competitive force in the Sunset Region. Alyssa Hawkins will once again be a force in the 100 free.”
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LIBERTY
Head coach: Carolyn Battin, third season
Top athletes: Taelyn Roberts-Oliver (Jr.), Sarah Cunningham (Sr.), Brooke Blackard (So.)
Outlook: Cunningham finished seventh in the 50-yard freestyle at last year’s Class 4A state meet.
She returns to help lead a team that is hoping for more success.
“Liberty looks like we will have a very strong girls relay this year,” Battin said.
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MOJAVE
Head coach: Jill Truitt, eighth season
Returning letter winners: Three
Top athletes: Cheyenne Johnson (Jr.)
Outlook: Johnson finished sixth in the 200-yard freestyle in last year’s Class 3A Southern Region meet. She leads a small group of returnees.
“The team is in a building year and expecting to see non-swimmers competing at regionals,” Truitt said.
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PALO VERDE
Head coach: Brent Gonzalez, 14th season
Returning letter winners: Twenty-two
Top athletes: Maddie Lauger (Jr.), Portia Blackert (Jr.), Stephanie Platt (Sr.), Summer Woods (Jr.)
Outlook: The Panthers bring back 22 letter winners, but lost some key contributors from last year’s team that won the program’s third straight state title.
Lauger (fifth at state in 200-yard individual medley and 100 backstroke) leads a group of returnees that also boasts Blackert (fourth in Sunset Region in 500 freestyle), Platt (fifth in Sunset in 200 freestyle and 100 butterfly) and Woods (fifth in Sunset in diving).
“The girls are looking to repeat as regional champions for the fourth year in a row,” Gonzalez said. “It will be a tough road for a fourth state championship, but Palo will try to be in the top spot again at state.”
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SHADOW RIDGE
Head coach: Jonathan Hillmer, seventh season
Top athletes: Aubrey Nenneman (Jr.), Haylee Buff (Jr.), Madison Ritz (Sr.), Charlotte Brerton (Sr.), Leah Kirkman (Fr.), Autumn Spendlove (Sr.)
Outlook: Brereton finished fourth in the 500-yard freestyle in last year’s Class 4A state meet. Ritz was a Sunset Region finalist.
“We lost a lot of seniors last year whose spots will need to be filled by our younger swimmers,” Hillmer said. “We hope to maintain our standing in the Sunset Region or move into the top three this year.”
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SIERRA VISTA
Head coach: Mikel Boland, third season
Returning letter winners: Five
Top athletes: Danyael Cuison, Phyllis Lee, Taylor Saxon, Alyssa Walter, Sydney Wilson
Outlook: Cuison finished third in the 100-yard butterfly in last year’s Sunset Region meet, and Walter took fourth in diving in the region meet.
They’re among five returning letter winners for the Mountain Lions, who suffered an early loss when senior Madison Tellier had shoulder surgery. Boland said Tellier is staying with the team to help as a mentor to the younger swimmers.
“We have many new girls this year, a few of whom already show tremendous potential,” Boland said. “The strength of our returning athletes, coupled with the new talent, gives us reason to believe that we will have a strong showing as a team at regionals this year.”
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SPRING VALLEY
Head coach: Jean Rees, 10th season
Top athletes: Kara Thompson (Sr.), Allie Jacobson (So.)
Outlook: Jacobson was a first-team All-Sunset Region honoree and finished fourth in the 100-yard breaststroke in last year’s region meet.
Thompson earned second-team all-region honors.
“We are looking forward to a great season,” Rees said. “We have over half our team from last year returning, and we continue to grow and expand as a team with new members joining us.”
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TECH
Head coach: David Pecjak, second season
Returning letter winners: Eight
Top athletes: Elle Renner (Jr.), Cheyenne Brokaw (Sr.), Alexia Duval (So.)
Outlook: Renner is the defending Class 3A state champion in diving and joined Brokaw and Duval on the 200-yard freestyle relay team that finished seventh in the state.
“We were third at regionals last year and eighth at state, and we would like to improve upon that this year,” Pecjak said. “We are confident that our diver will have another exceptional year. She and the girls have been working hard in the offseason and are back with high expectations for another great season.”
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VALLEY
Head coach: Ryan Max Ocampo, second season
Returning letter winners: Four
Top athletes: Anita Sanguansin (Sr.)
Outlook: Sanguansin placed third in the 100-yard breaststroke and fourth in the 50 freestyle at last year’s Sunrise Region meet.
She leads a group of four returning letter winners for Valley.
“We want to get to state and get new athletes to commit to the four-year swim program,” Ocampo said.
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VIRGIN VALLEY
Head coach: Jan White, 10th season
Top athletes: Kallie Graves (Sr.), Taylor Waite (Sr.), Sydney Ludvigson (Jr.)
Outlook: Graves (100-yard butterfly), Waite (50 freestyle) and Ludvigson (100 backstroke) all are school record holders and return to lead the Bulldogs.
“We hope to go to state with several individual and team events,” White said. “We have several new swimmers that show a lot of potential. I just want the swimmers to enjoy coming out for swim and learn to love the sport.”
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WESTERN
Head coach: Elisa Marcheschi Hickey, fourth season
Top athletes: Hasmig Sayegh (Sr.), Emely Ortiz (Sr.), Shylee Garcia (Sr.), Tiffany McCoy (Jr.)
Outlook: Sayegh qualified for the Class 3A state meet in both the 200-yard individual medley and the 200 medley relay.
Ortiz, Garcia and McCoy each qualified for the Southern Region meet in two events.
“We’ve put in a lot of time together,” Marcheschi Hickey said. “Now is the chance for these girls to shine.”
