McCluer North Swim Team Wraps Up a Successful Run

Cory Clasby and his fellow seniors on the swimming and diving team have come full circle.

In the past four seasons, the Stars went from an afterthought to the most dominating squad in the Suburban North Conference.

"We used to be just another team," Clasby said. "Now, we've set a standard and created a legacy."

With Clasby leading the way, North has gone unbeaten in conference play the past three seasons. The Stars, who were a mediocre 6-6 in 2007, are 42-11 throughout the past four years.

Clasby, along with seniors Ben Burnett, Wesley Cox, Nate Tatar and Joey Garrett, played huge roles in the turnaround.

"This class has probably been the most successful group in our history," coach Scott Braswell said. "These guys have really accomplished a lot."

The Stars won 13 of 14 matches each of the past two campaigns. They also sent a relay team and an individual to the state meet during that span.

North took control of a league that had been controlled by during the early part of the past decade.

"I enjoyed being part of the creation of a tradition of winning," Clasby said. "It's something I will always remember."

The Stars had just nine swimmers on their roster prior to the four-year blitz. There were 23 competitors this season.

Members of the squad also excelled in the classroom. Braswell said 17 of his players have a grade point average of 3.0 or higher, including eight with a 4.0 mark.

"They’re going to be successful in college and whatever else they decide to do," he said.

Clasby, Tater, senior Ryan Porter and sophomore Nick Kuper were members of the 400-meter freestyle relay team that qualified for the state meet in 2010. It was the first time North had advanced to state in a non-diving event in 12 years.

The Fab Five made this past season a memorable one. Cox won the league title in the 100-meter backstroke. Tatar was second in the 200-meter intermediate medley and 200-meter breaststroke. Clasby placed second in the 50 and 100-meter freestyle events. Garrett and Burnett led the Stars relay teams, which dominated the conference meet earlier this month.

Seniors Randall Rootz and Shayne McCrady also played key roles in the Stars' success.

Braswell will miss this talented group, which set some high standards. He is losing 10 seniors and three foreign exchange students from the 13-1 team.

"It goes in cycles, but we have some talent coming back," he said.

Kuper, who served as a team captain along with Clasby, should make plenty of noise in the future. Kuper qualified for the state meet in the 500-meter free earlier this month.

Braswell said Kuper is an extremely versatile performer.

"He can do pretty much anything," he said.

Sophomore Ryan Batisto, junior Kurt Ragan and freshmen Ben Schulz and Fred Schaljo made big strides during the season and will be counted on heavily next fall.

But for now, Braswell, a 1993 McCluer North graduate, can look back with pride on the past four seasons.

"It's been a great run," he said. "It might be a long time before we can do something like this again."

Clasby also feels good about his four-year tenure.

"We'll remember some of the things we accomplished for the rest of our lives," he said.