Local swimmers prepare to make a splash
Each Prince-Mont division features a local squad
Not only will the six local pools who compete in the Prince-Mont Swim League look to make an immediate splash this weekend and throughout their respective five dual meets this summer, the numerous swimmers who have grown accustomed to friendly rivalries will have to put their aquatic animosities on hold until the July 28 AllStar meet.
Southern Maryland will be represented by six pools this summer, but none of them were assigned into a common division.
Charles County squads Hawthorne (Division A), Smallwood Village (B), Westlake Village (D), Indian Head (E) and Bannister (F) will all kick off this weekend in separate divisions and those swimmers will not face off again until the Charles County Championships next month at Westlake Villaeg. Kings Landing, the lone Calvert County pool in the league, is in Division C.
Hawthorne concluded the 2017 season undefeated and waltzed home with the league’s Division B championships and thus earned a promotion to the Division A ranks. The Gators will open the Prince-Mont season at Takoma Park, an indoor pool, on Saturday morning and will head to the Kingfish Swim Club in Bowie for divisionals on July 21 in quest of sending numerous swimmers to All-Stars.
“HCC is ready for A Division,” said Hawthorne head coach Mary Jane Cupples, also the swim coach at La Plata High School. “We had time trials last Saturday and we had a lot of great times. La Plata will have a number of incoming freshmen that will make the relays very strong. Most of my La Plata kids look forward to summer because it really helps them work on sprinting. We have always had a lot of younger swimmers and I look for some records from our younger kids this summer.”
Hawthorne typically arrives at each meet with a pair of reigning Class 2A state champions, rising junior Conor Vienneau and classmate Megan Schueller. While Schueller will make her presence known in the sprints throughout the summer, especially as the reigning state champion in the 2A girls 50-yard freestyle, Vienneau is bypassing the Prince-Mont action this summer due to a minor injury.
“Unfortunately, Conor is injured and not going to be swimming this summer,” Cupples said. “We’re hoping he gets better and comes back to swim for La Plata this winter. Megan is going to be very good in sprints and she is also going to be doing the butterfly, breaststroke and backstroke at meets. Addy Donnick, Esther Dugan and Naomi Dugan should all do very well. Our 15-18 boys will do okay.”
Smallwood Village will open the season at Strathmore Bel Pre in Montgomer y County and eventually head to Montpelier in Laurel for the Division B championships. Smallwood will head into the season with a talented group that includes
Clayton Jameson, Cara Jameson, Sydney Marohn-Johnson, Justin Truitt and Mya Rivenburg, a rising senior at North Point High School.
Kings Landing will host Greenbelt Municipal from Prince George’s County this Saturday and eventually will host four of five meets. Kings Landing returns Sarah Cole, a distance specialist
and recent Huntingtown High School graduate, Aspen Gallaudet, Laurel Gallaudet, Emma Biehn, Alexia Zaidi, Olivia Cole and Michael Trotter.
“We drop down to C division this year, so we should do well,” said former Kings Landing head coach Kandia Spain, who has yielded the coaching chores this summer to Margaret O’Grady, also the coach at Northern High School. “The Gallaudets should be back this summer, along with Sarah Cole and Olivia Cole and Emma Biehn. After 14 years I
decided to step down and this summer I will just be a spectator.”
Westlake Village will open the season at home on Saturday morning against West Arundel and eventually the Waves of Westlake will venture to Cheverly Swim & Racquet for the Division D championships. The Waves watched Carla Arquero age out last summer, but they will have veterans Kerrigan McMillen, Emily Decker and Tyra Agnew and youthful swimmers Isabella Smith, Matthew Wright and Elle Wright.
Indian Head will host Prince George’s Council this Saturday morning but next month will travel to Prince George’s Council for the Division E championships.
Bannister will travel to the Roger Carter Seals in Howard County this weekend for its opening meet, but later this summer Bannister owns the distinction as being the only local squad to host a divisional meet, the Division F championships.