IR swimmers show improvement at conference competition

Since Indian River High School introduced its swimming program three seasons ago, head coaches Colin Crandell and Donna Smith have merely had ambitions of getting the program up and running. They never expected to see the success and progress it has brought along during its few young years, but they couldn’t be happier with the results.

Coastal Point • R. Chris Clark
Seung Son leads off the 200-meter freestyle as Marrissa Fox, Becca Webb and Aubrey Seeley watch.

Just this past weekend, on Saturday, Feb. 11, the team competed in the Henlopen Conference Championships at the Lake Forest Aquatics Center and, once again, the Indians continued to impress.

“The conference championship went really well,” noted Crandell. “Out of our 10 guys who competed, all but two continued to made drops in their times.”

Indian Rivers’ boys’ team locked up a respectable third place, falling to Sussex Tech by only two points. Cape Henlopen’s boys’ team scored first, while their girls’ team collected second. The Lady Ravens of Sussex Tech finished first overall at the conference competition.

The Lady Indians had a less-fortunate finish as a team, but Smith said she was still pleased to see times continue to drop.

“Most of our swimmers were shaving their times by at least a full second,” she said. “Unfortunately, we were competing without two of our swimmers, who were nursing injuries, but I’m really proud of what the team has done this year.”

Ashleigh White and Karlie Smith were both unable to participate at conferences, but Donna Smith said she hopes that they can improve as the state competition approaches.

In their debut season, the Indians were unable to pick up any wins, but as Crandell noted, the sport was still in its preliminary stages at the time.

“Three years ago,” he said, “I was eager to bring a team to the area, but I was worried that the athletic board wouldn’t keep us. Someone told me, ‘Just get the Ws, and you won’t have to worry about a thing.’ I was pleased as we started to improve, but I never anticipated getting to where we are this quickly.”

The boys’ team earned a 6-3 record this year, a vast improvement from last season, when the team had picked up their first two victories in the program.

The vast improvement of the team even earned Crandell the nod for Henlopen Conference Boys’ Coach of the Year.

“It’s really an honor to be recognized among other coaches like this,” he said, “but it’s a reflection of the kids. They’re doing all the work. I just provide the template. This team has been so much fun to coach, and I really can’t take credit for the success. There are others involved – Sea Colony Sharks coaches, summer coaches and the parents. There’s so much more that goes into this program than me.”

Throughout the season, more and more swimmers have reached state-qualification times, some in multiple events. Next week, Indian River’s boys’ team will send eight individuals to state preliminaries at the University of Delaware, after their times this season came in under state cuts. During prelims, the best 16 times in each event will qualify for the state competition, which will be held at UD the following weekend.

“I like the chances of our boys‘ 400-meter freestyle relay placing in the state,” said Candell. “Individually, Carter [Michael], Logan [Linden] and Merrick [Kovatch] all have a realistic shot at getting through to the finals. This season has really been a great success story for us. From a coaching standpoint and a guard captain standpoint, it’s been amazing. These kids are out here, having fun and learning about themselves.”

The girls’ team has been improving in the record books, too.

“We started our first year without any wins,” said Smith. “By our second year, we got one win, and this year, we got two. We’re slowly getting there, and our hopes next year are to get more swimmers to help fill the lanes.”

As a sophomore, Karlie Smith has qualified for states in three events, though her pending recovery will dictate whether or not she will get back in the pool next week. Coach Donna Smith is also anticipating a strong performance from her relay team which will try its luck at prelims next week, as well.

Crandell noted that preparation for states is more mental than anything else, now.

“It’s definitely a mental game,” he said. “There’s some conditioning involved in the first part of the week, but how you rest a team before a competition like this is key. Every kid is different, and we want to make sure they are as ready as we can get them. We don’t want to push them too hard, but we don’t want to rest them too much, either.”

While both coaches hope to improve with next year’s program, Crandell noted the necessity of maintaining what they have already established.

“We have been pleasantly surprised with the outcome,” he said, “but we still have a long way to get to where we want to be. I’m hoping that the success we’re having sparks an interest and invites more students into the program. It has so much to offer and, as a parent, I want this area to have more opportunities for the next generation.

“Swimming is so promising. It can lead to collegiate competition and even provide athletes with a career. People don’t realize that with swimming, you can make an occupation out of it. We want to be able to send these guys back into the community and give them all the opportunities we can.”