Lions thinking big for MVC swim meet

By Whitney Blakemore, The GazetteMARION — It's been more than 20 years since a Linn-Mar swimmer has stood on the podium at state.

But this year head coach Tom Belin has high expectations for his team.

'I got six swimmers who have a great chance of placing top six and getting on that podium this year,' Belin said. 'And Linn-Mar has never done that.'

Saturday, the 10th-ranked Lions compete in the Mississippi Valley Conference meet hosted by Cedar Falls, starting at noon at Holmes Junior High.

Last year, they placed sixth, but are seeing to it that they improve this year.

'We've had a really good season so far and have held (our own) with teams that, in the past, have been faster than us,' senior Kyle McNeal said.

Linn-Mar took on eighth-ranked Cedar Rapids Washington earlier this season, losing 88-82, drastically closing the gap from last year's meet (117-52).

'Washington has always had a dominant program, almost like a dynasty,' senior captain Carter Starr said. 'And this is the first time we have dueled them in the past three years where we have actually hung with them. At the conference meet this weekend, if we come together as a team, we could potentially hang with them again or even beat them and surprise a lot of people.'

Junior Calvin Greve, who leads the team in four events and is fifth in the state in the backstroke, is one swimmer Belin has his eye on for the upcoming target meets.

'Calvin has turned it on in the backstroke,' Belin said. 'He worked off-season on his techniques and getting a better base. All of those components are really working for him.'

For Greve, he gives credit to his teammates, especially McNeal, for constantly pushing him in practice to improve.

'(McNeal and I) been having this competition with our backstroke,' Greve said. 'He has been, for the past two years, a lot better than I have, and I just think competing with him and the other guys on the team, that's what's really helping us improve, competition within our own team.'

McNeal also has improved tremendously, according to Belin, from transitioning from a distance swimmer his freshman year to a sprinter now.

'He is going to be one of the better sprinters in the state. I'm convinced of it,' Belin said. 'He's swimming faster this year than he ever has and he's figuring out how to be a sprinter.'

Belin gives all credit to great leadership for  team that could help elevate the program.

'We have the ability to be something special, from a Linn-Mar perspective that we've never had,' Belin said. 'It's been about 25 years since we've really had a team that's scored a lot of points at state and this team can do that.'I'd like to think that this team (at conference) could actually get to that level and show our peers that we are here to stay.'