It's Pool Time for 2011 Girls' Swim Team

In 2010 the Lady Marines girls swim team rattled off an impressive run of four team wins in a row before, and finished with successful team outings against Great Neck South and Wantagh en route to a 6-3 record.

A lot of talented swimmers have moved on, but coach John Skudin said that there will be plenty of excitement in the pool at Long Beach with a team of veterans and good, younger athletes coming up.

“You always graduate some, that’s the nature of it,” Skudin said. “But we have a nice balance this year.”

2010 RECORD: 6-3

COACH: John Skudin, seventh year

TOP SWIMMERS

• Cady Zawatson (senior) distance

• Cadie Cannon (sophomore) distance

• Zoe Papetti (senior) free style spring

• Jennifer Nash  (junior) IM

• Valentine Rappa (sophomore) backstroke

POSITION BREAKDOWN

Zawatson, who swims anywhere from the 500 to the 100 freestyle for the Marines, will be a key to watch this year. Her name’s already up on the wall at the pool as a holder of a number of school records, and her coach praises her strength and endurance.

With Cannon, a sophomore, impressive in the same events as Zawatson, the team should be particularly strong in these events.

Long Beach’s diving program will also be good to watch. Among them: Seniors Devin Murray and Nicole Morrison, junior grader Hayli Weitz and sophomore Emma Harris.

“We have a very strong group of divers, and they’ll get us some points,“ Skudin predicted.  

EXPECTATIONS

In recent year, the girls’ swim team has finished second in the county behind Garden City, but last year the Marines tied for third.

“The others are catching up,” Skudin said. “But as in previous years, we‘re all chasing Garden City. They‘re on top, so that‘s our goal.”

That’s the team angle — but as anyone who follows swimming knows, it is also a decidedly individual sport.

“The beauty of this sport is people are swimming for a team, but also individually,” the head coach said. “A team can finish last but have all of the swimmers improve their best time. And that’s our goal. For every kid to improve. We’ll see whether that happens. We’re hoping for good things — but hope doesn’t swim.”

KEY MEET

JFK-Bellmore. “We tied them in the counties last year,” Skudin said. “This year they’re our last meet. It could end up meaning a lot or a little. But they‘re all good meets — this is the top conference.”