Published: November 03, 2009 10:03 pm      

No shortage of talent for Edmond swim teams

Fielding competitive swimming teams shouldn’t be a problem for Steve Riggs this season. The longtime Edmond swim coach has never had so many swimmers to choose from as more than 120 kids have filled the rosters for the upcoming high school season.

“I am very blessed to be able to work with so many great kids and coaches,” said Riggs who is in his 33rd year as the Edmond swim coach. “ We have a lot of bodies in the water and it makes for some crowded practices, but we are working together as teams towards a common goal and what we endure sometimes makes us that much tougher.”

And as usual, all of the teams are expected to be among the best in the state and despite some outstanding swimmers lost to graduation, there are still some returning points for all the schools.

For the boys, it will be Edmond North looking stay atop of the state after finishing second to Jenks last year. The Huskies, who are third in the preseason poll, lost a lot of points from last year’s team, but still have the services of seniors John Alba and Ford Parsons.

“We have lots of depth,” Riggs said. “But if the quality can come through we will be a very dangerous team. We have a lot of good swimmers but they have to take the next step and go from the “B” finals at state to the “A” finals. That could make the difference.”

The Memorial boys lost almost all of their state points from last year, but still have enough coming back to be a surprise to many. State finalist Nick Welch leads an inexperience team, with Trent Bozeman, Willy Utsch, and Ben Shook also returning from scoring at the state meet. The boys are ranked eighth in the pre-season poll.

“On paper we are not very intimidating”, said Riggs about the No. 8-ranked Bulldogs. “ But they know that with hard work we are going to be more competitive than teams think and we will certainly be heard from at the bigger meets.”

After years with losing records, the Santa Fe boys turned it around last year and can boast even better things for this season. Returning point scorers Daniel Stein, Jacob Stein, and Keenan Stewart, are back, along with freshmen Colton Laramore, and Alec French, who already have qualified for the state meet. While Santa Fe is not listed in the top ten pre-season, Riggs believes that could change.

“We are faster than last year and have more depth, but we need to build on what was done last year and get this team to where they belong, which is much higher than where we are currently ranked,” he said.

One of the biggest surprises in girls action could be the Lady Huskies. With returning point scorers Katie Sabatino, Kathryn Rykard, and Shelbi McVay, the team also has added several talented freshmen, and is ranked fourth in the pre-season coaches poll. Abbie Imes, Ann-Marie Stowe, Jess Graro, and sophomore Faye Reilly, give the Lady Huskies important depth to go with some outstanding quality.

“I believe that though they are very young, they will rise to the challenge of high school swimming,” Riggs said. “It could be the beginning of some of the best girls teams that North has ever had.”

A young but talented team returns for the No. 6 Lady Bulldogs. Junior Kaitlin Kliewer returns as the top point scorer, while sophomores Carly Pearson, Chelsea Bowman, and Rachel Young, and junior Lindsey Welch also return to give Memorial some strong depth.

“Despite always graduating great swimmers, we still have a lot of talent coming back,” Riggs said. “We have some areas that we need to work on, but the outlook for this team is very hopeful.”

One of the year’s best stories may be the rise of the Santa Fe girls team. After finishing 14th at last year’s state meet, the girls are ranked number ten in the preseason poll. Seniors Crista Riggs and Jordan Brewer return as the top point scorers. Junior Shelby Laramore, a move-in from Lubbock, Texas, will also contribute greatly as well as freshman Sara Riggs, and a host of others who swam on relays at the state meet.

“This could be one of the better teams we have had here,” Riggs said. “We have some very good quality and if our depth can get faster, then we could be headed to one of the top finishes ever. We have a lot of work to do, but a lot of them experienced the state championships last year and they want to get back there and compete”.

This year’s meet schedule includes dates with the 5A boys state champions from Bixby, and the 5A girls state champion Bishop McGuiness, as well as most of the top teams in the state. The Edmond City Championships, which is the only time the three schools score just against each other, is set for Jan. 25 at Oklahoma Christian.