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South returns small lineup; No seniors on Sweet Home Williamsville South's boys swimming roster is larger but mostly new to the sport. Billies coach Richard Grampp will field a team of nine swimmers, one more swimmer than last year. Returning swimmers counting on to lead the Billies are team captains, senior Rob Gardner and junior Greg Frank. Gardner will see action in almost every event but will focus on the sprints and 100-yard butterfly, said Grampp. Frank has been swimming with South since eighth grade and will swim the individual medley, distance freestyle and some breaststroke. Other swimmers on the team are seniors Matt Belle and James Chudy and sophomores Nick Herr and Benny Sternburg. Belle is in his first year on the team and has really progressed already, dropping a lot of time in his freestyle and learning all the rest of the strokes, said Grampp. "It's too bad he didn't come out for the team earlier," Grampp added. Chudy is currently out with a broken thumb but when he returns, will help in the sprints. Grampp said Herr can swim any event but the breaststroke and backstroke are his focal events. Sternberg will be swimming mostly distance free with occasional breaststroke. South also debuts three divers - freshman Zach Frank and Matt Battistoni and sophomore Phil Michalowski. South hasn't had a diver in three years. "All three are progressing well," said Grampp. "All three have a good chance at making ECICs. Phil and Matt have the best chance at sectionals because their degree of difficulty is pretty good. They just have to get more consistent." Grampp said Gardner and Frank have the best chance at qualifying for sectionals while the rest of the swimmers will be working on improving their times to qualify for ECICs or sectionals. South went 2-10 last year.
"Our team goal is always to win a meet but with having such a small and inexperienced team, that will be very difficult to do," said Grampp. Sweet Home With no seniors on the roster, the Panthers will have to rely on some juniors and three standout sophomores for success in the pool. Sweet Home coach Dan Mc- Carthy will lean on returning juniors Jon Wolf, Colin Sabers, Ryan Gilinger, and Phillip Stewart and returning sophomores Connor Hoffman, Hans Boos and Kris O'Connor. Hoffman qualified for this past summer's Empire State Games in the 100-yard backstroke. "Connor and Hans are swimming year round and that experience is going to be important for us," said McCarthy. Hoffman, Wolf and Gilinger are the team captains. Sweet Home's best newcomer is freshman Matthew Palumbo but he is one of eight new freshmen to the team, said Mc- Carthy. Sweet Home won four meets last year but swam extremely well, McCarthy said. To compete with top teams like Williamsville North and Orchard Park, Mc- Carthy said his team needs to focus on their times and abilities and not worry about what others are doing.
McCarthy is looking to qualify as many swimmers as he can for ECICs, which are at Sweet Home Feb. 5-6. |
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