Bay County girls swimming preview

The 2008 Bay County girls swimming team preview capsules:

Arnold

• Head coach: Rock Snow, third year.
• 2007: Placed first in district and eighth in the region meet while setting four school records.
• Leading returners: Paige Biller (sr.), Katie Branham (sr.), Kiersten Campos-VanZant (sr.), Whitney Hall (sr.), Anastasia Jacob (sr.), Ashley Skipper (sr.), Holly Breckenridge (jr.), Samantha Choat (jr.), Dena Vaughn (jr.), Kelly Weil (jr.), and Emily Churchwell (so.)
• Others to watch: Cassie Blei (sr.), Alicia Navarro (sr.), Nicole Enright (jr.), Morgan Meeks (jr.), Lindsey Power (jr.), Christina Schwandt (jr.), Julie Stephenson (jr.), Erin Branham (fr.), Casey Doyle (fr.), Kaity Eldridge (fr.), Nicole Gazia (fr.), Taylor Hall (fr.), Audrina Jacob (fr.), Mara Mosher (fr.), Emily Parsons (fr.), Marisa Vaughn (fr.), and Hannah Williams (fr.).
• Key Losses: Carlee McDonald, Taylor McDonald and Myranda Hoyem.
• Notable: Brannon and Jacob are team captains. ...Biller and Branham were all-county in 2007. ...coaches feel that the girls freshmen class is very strong. ... Snow overall has 29 years as a swim coach. Assistant Mike McMullan is in his first year at Arnold, but fifth overall.
• Quotable: "The goal is to repeat as district champion and move up the rankings at regionals. Look to see more of the team records fall this year. With the leadership of Katie and Anna and the rest of the seniors, multiple relays and a few individual girls will meet their goals of making it to the state finals." - Rock Snow

Bay

• Head coach: Sarah L. Guillot, first year
• 2007: Allison Troia placed ninth in the 100 breaststroke at regionals while setting a Bay High School record, placed ninth in the 200 IM at districts and was voted All-County.
• Leading returners: Captain Allison Troia, Captain Taylor Loyd, Katie Jernigan, Katherine Silva.
• Others to watch: Rebecca Woodrum.
• Key losses: Georgetta Ionescu, Christen Harned.
• Notable: Bay's girls are looking toward their individual strengths for success in state series competition.
• Quotable: "Bay's girls are hard workers who possess a lot of maturity and a positive outlook. They have the potential to do very well." - Sarah L. Guillot

Mosley

• Head coach: Sue Cottrill, second year
• 2007: Mosley girls were the Class 2A Region 1 and District 1 champions for 2006 and again in 2007. They finished seventh at the regional and 14th at state while breaking eight school and four county records. Individually Lauren Delaney (50 and 100 freestyle) and Sara Evans (200 I.M. and 100 breaststroke) both placed in the Top 10 at state with the Mosley girls 400 freestyle relay of Candice Hilton, Brielle Seaman, Evans and Delaney placing eighth and the 200 medley relay with the same girls placing ninth. Eight girls advanced to regionals. The 200 medley relay placed fourth, 200 freestyle relay (Sarah McDermott, Sierra Seaman, Brielle Seaman, Hilton) placed eighth, and 400 freestyle relay (McDermott, Sierra Seaman, Evans, Delaney) placed second. Evans won the 100 breaststroke, Delaney took second in both the 50 and 100 freestyles, Hilton was ninth in the 50 freestyle and 14th in the 100 freestyle and Sierra Seaman was 16th in the 500 freestyle.
• Key returners: Sara Evans (sr. breaststroke, and I.M.), Candice Hilton (sr. freestyle), Staci Lehman (sr. all-around), Brielle Seaman (jr. all-around), Sarah McDermott (jr. freestyle, butterfly), Bonnie Broersma (so. all-around), Julia Pollard (sr. freestyle).
• Others to watch: Victoria Hove (fr.), Kyle Olstad (so. breaststroke), Emily Underhill (so.diving), Mary Beth Bennett (so. diving), Nicole Barberides (so. butterfly), Sarah Dorsch (jr. backstroke), Mary McDermott (jr. freestyle, butterfly).
• Key losses: Lauren Delaney, Sierra Seaman
• Notable: Evans, Hilton and Lehman are team captains. ... Olstad is a transfer from Rutherford where she was a state qualifier in the breaststroke ... Cottrill called Hove one of the strongest swimmers ever produced in Bay County.
• Quotable: Mosley girls swimming has a long history of excellence, with success both in the pool and in academics, with the 2008 valedictorian and salutatorian both members of our team. The depth and all-around talent of our 2008 team are unmatched in the area's history. We are looking for strong showing for our girls all the way through the state level of competition." - Sue Cottrill

Rutherford

• Head coach: George Klug, second year
• 2007: Took ninth in district and 18th in regional. Top elay was freestyle quartet of Alexandria Martinson, Valerie Cooper, Samantha Voigt and Stephanie Voigt. Kyle Olstad was 12th in state in 100 breastroke. Top in overall points was Olstad, Alex Martinson and Stephanie Voigt, first through third.
• Top returners: Alex Martinson, Emma Pearish, Stephanie Voigt, Valerie Cooper, Alex Wolff, Lauren Traver.
• Others to watch: Lauren Wyllie, Laura Kearns, Kaitlyn Blais.
• Key losses: Kyle Olstad.
• Notable: Olstad transferred to Mosley ... this is the largest Rams' girls swim team ever assembled, according to Klug.
• Quotable: "I believe we will have a competitive women's 400 medley and freestyle relay team at regionals, with several of our women athletes going to regionals, if not state in individual events." - George Klug