Johnston Swimmers Gear Up for Toughest Competition

Johnston swim coach Shari Walling knows she has a strong team this season. Now, she hopes they'll prove it against their best competition of the season.

So far this season, Johnston has beaten North, Marshalltown, East and Ottumwa in dual meets. But the most competitive part of the team's season began last weekend at the Cedar Rapids Kennedy Invitational, where the 6th-ranked Dragons placed second.

“We haven’t had many tough duals yet, and I actually haven’t had my whole varsity team at this point either,” said Walling.

The Dragons took second place earlier in the season at the Ames Invitational, behind defending state champion and current No. 2-ranked Ames. At the Cedar Rapids Kennedy Invitational, Johnston faced No. 1 Cedar Falls, No. 7 Linn-Mar and No. 8 Kennedy.

Two Top Divers

Last year, the Dragons qualified 11 to the state meet. Two of those, divers Dahlia Gordon and Dani Davis, graduated to collegiate swimming.

This year, senior Emma Billerbeck and sophomore Emily Moore are ranked among the top seven divers in the state. Billerbeck qualified for state last year. Moore was hurt in a car accident and could not finish the season.

Billerbeck is currently ranked No. 4 overall, and Moore is No. 7 in the diving power rankings.

“They are doing very well for us,” Walling said. “...Both have the potential to qualify for state.”

Powerful Relays

Senior Emily Merritt, sophomore Carmen Bajgrt and junior Victoria Trost all swam in multiple events at last year’s state meet and are expected to return this season. Nicole Davis also is ranked in the top 10 in both the 200 and 500 freestyle. She too was unable to finish last year's season after she contracted mono.

Merritt, Bajgrt, Trost and Davis are expected to lead all three relays this season. Johnston is currently ranked No. 7 in the 400 freestyle relay, No. 8 in the 200 medley relay and No. 10 in the 200 freestyle relay.

“It’s a good, strong group of girls and they all work really hard,” Walling said. “The key now is try to find out where we are best, so we can put our best team together for regionals and then state.”

Walling said she would like to advance all three relays to state again this year and is hoping to have about 11 swimmers qualify for state.

The regional meets are Oct. 27 for diving and Oct. 29 for swimming.

The Johnston swim team has been combined with Urbandale for more than 20 years and now includes student-athletes from Grimes.

Urbandale Junior Most Improved

Urbandale junior Caylee Shank, who specializes in the 50 and 100 freestyle, is the team's most improved swimmer this season.

“I did a lot of offseason training, including another swim team,” Shank said. “And I did Kosama (fitness classes), which has definitely carried over and is helping me with my times this season.”

“By the time season ends I would have like to have made state as well as my team and placed well,” Shank said. “It's hard to say what I want my ultimate times to be because they drop throughout the season. So we will just have to see when state rolls around where I’m at.”