The Yorktown Swim Club's high school-age athletes return to the pool today to start training for the winter season. And they'll hit the water with the Indiana High School Swim Coaches Association pre-season rankings hot off the presses.
The IHSSCA rankings are based on the points each school would earn in a theoretical State Meet, based on last year's top times among returning competitors (relays aren't ranked until the season starts). So the numbers can be skewed by several factors, not the least of which is off-season transfers by athletes.
The 2010-11 pre-season poll is a prime example. Head Coach Brad Grieshop's YHS boys start the season ranked #20 in Indiana, with 28 rating points. But that total is inflated by the inclusion of former Tiger Austin Dunn, who is among the swimmers ranked in the 50-yard free; Dunn moved away over the summer, and is now competing for Center Grove High School.
Even so, the Tiger boys are still making some noise little more than two months before the start of the high school season. Senior Adam Voss (can he really be a senior already?) is among Indiana's best in two individual events, grabbing the #4 ranking in the 100-yard fly and #8 in the 200-yard free. Look for senior Michael Heavilon to also jump into the individual rankings as the upcoming season unfolds, with the relays knocking on the door, too.
The YHS girls are also getting some pre-season attention, holding down the state's #22 spot. Two-time NISCA All-American Larah Beaver leads the lady Tigers into the fray, ranking #7 in the 100-yard back and #12 in the 100-yard free to start the season. Don't be surprised to see sophomore Jessica Extine and sophomore Caroline Grasso also swim their way into individual rankings this winter--Extine in the fly and free, Grasso in the free and back--as Yorktown tries to win the first sectional championship in school history.
Two YHS relay teams are also likely to end up among Indiana's best this winter--Beaver, Extine, Grasso and sophomore Kersea Gable have enough talent to shatter the school record in the 200-yard medley relay. And Beaver, Extine, Grasso and senior Gabby LaVoie could be formidable in the 200-yard free relay by February.
The Yorktown girls open their 2010-11 season at home against Lawrence North on November 18th, with the boys lifting the lid on their season when they join the girls for a dual meet with Westfield at home on November 27th (the Saturday of Thanksgiving weekend).
GO TIGERS!
Monday, August 23, 2010
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