Panthers look to continue stellar tradition
by Greg Ceilley of The Review staff
PLYMOUTH – With 13 returning letter winners, including several key members from the 2009 squad, the Plymouth Panthers are looking to continue an impressive girls swimming and diving tradition.
“We should again have a solid team. We will need our newer swimmers and divers to push the upperclassmen,” said Panther head coach Mike Slagle.
“We have a good tradition and will be looking to continue that winning tradition.”
The Panthers have won the Eastern Wisconsin Conference title a record 11 straight times – winning last year’s league meet by a whopping 131 points. PHS posted a 6-0 EWC dual mark and was 12-1 overall in 2009. The Panthers finished 12th in the Division 2 state meet.
PHS returns five individuals who competed in last year’s state meet, led by junior Kate Criter who placed third in the 100-yard breaststroke and anchored the fifth-place 200 freestyle relay. Juniors Lauren Halle and Sarah Coley and senior Sarah Ebbott were also on the relay team.
Senior diver Danielle Holzer returns after finishing 15th in the 2009 state event. Holzer is the defending EWC champion.
Plymouth’s other returning individual EWC champions include Ebbott in the 200 individual medley; Halle, 50 freestyle; Criter, 100 butterfly and breaststroke; Coley, 100 freestyle; and Stephanie Hunter in the 100 backstroke.
“We again have good numbers [35]. We have decent talent with the new swimmers coming in,” said Slagle who lost 15 seniors to graduation from the 2009 team.
“We should have above-average butterfliers, backstrokers, breaststrokers and sprint freestylers. Areas we need to beef up will be distance freestyle and diving.
“We should have good competition between our swimmers up and down the lineup,” said Slagle who is in his 32nd season as the PHS head coach.
He said staying healthy and hard work will be the main keys to being successful this season. “The seniors will be our captains. We will count on them to carry on the winning tradition,” Slagle said.
The coach noted his top goals.
“See improvement in time through the season, have fun, be conference champs and get as many through to state a possible,” he said.
“We should go into our conference meet as the team to beat. The EWC has added a new co-op team of Chilton/Valders/Brillion. This should increase the competition and make the meet more interesting.
“All of the teams in our conference will bring in some top swimmers and divers. It should be a good meet,” Slagle said.
Greg Heberlein is the new diving coach, replacing longtime coach Tyler Schaefer who stepped down after last season. Heberlein served as a PHS swim/dive coach in the 1990s.
PLYMOUTH GIRLS SWIMMING
AND DIVING SCHEDULE
Aug. 24 – Sheboygan South, here
Sept. 2 – @ West Bend East
Sept. 7 – Redwing Relays, @ Sheb. So.
Sept. 9 – Grafton & W. Bend West, here
Sept. 16 – Port Wash. & Two Rivers, here
Sept. 23 – SF/Koh./SL/ & Kiel, here
Sept. 25 – Panther Invitational, here
Oct. 7 – Valders & Two Rivers, here
Oct. 9 – @ Cedarburg Invitational
Oct. 16 – Small School Invite, @
Shorewood
Oct. 21 – Sheb. Falls/Kohler/Sheb.
Luth./ & Chilton, @ Chilton
Oct. 30 – EWC Meet, @ Chilton
Nov. 5 – Diving Sectional, here
Nov. 6 – Swim Sectional, here
PLYMOUTH GIRLS SWIMMING
AND DIVING ROSTER
Seniors – Raelynn Bohrmueller, *Sarah Ebbott, *Danielle Holzer (diver), Jennifer Klopf, Chelsea Martin and Kayla Schneider.
Juniors – Shannon Buhler, *Michaela Calhoun, *Sarah Coley, *Kate Criter, Alexandria Grimes, *Lauren Halle, *Stephanie Hunter, *Kaitlyn Krzyzaniak, *Tori Tobin and *Lucienne Van de Pas.
Sophomores – Katherine Dunn, *Becca Ebbott, Rachel Francis, *Sarah Gamoke, Kathleen Gavin, *Megan Holec, Rachel Payne (diver) and Alyssa Schall.
Freshmen – Emily Brown, Andrea Flood, Madison Goldbeck, Cassidy Klemme, Taylor Knuth (diver), Mary McConnaha, Mary Claire Nicholson, Delaney Olsen, Meghan Roelse, Natalie Skelton and Anna Travis.
* = Returning letter winner.
