Linn-Mar swimmers making a splash

Linn-Mar Coach Chad Derlein had lofty expectations for his girls swim team this year, and so far the Lions have lived up to them.

Derlein, in his fifth season as head coach, considered this one of the best Lions teams he has seen. They have made a good case for themselves, cementing themselves in the top 10 of the Iowa High School Athletic Association Power Rankings as teams approach the final month of the season.

"They're showing me that they can persevere through all the hard work they've done," Derlein said about facing tough competition. "They have come together and still performed well and been competitive with everyone else."

A strong team mentality has fueled the Lions. Derlein said it's the most tight-knit team he has had and their unity has been a rallying point in training and competition.

"They see eye-to-eye. They're very close," Derlein said. "They work very well as a team. When someone is a little down, they build them back up."

Senior leadership is at the core of the team's camaraderie. Emilie Berg, Alex Dunn, Sam Wagner and Nicole Larsen are among a collective group of upperclassmen that has helped shape the Lions.

"They've grown so much since they were freshmen and now that they're in the shoes of being seniors they've done a tremendous job bringing the team together and supporting everyone else," Derlein said. "They're very well-respected."

Linn-Mar has relied on its trademark balance, which has been a constant in the program for years. It has powered them to the top tier of the Mississippi Valley Conference and helped them to a third-place finish in a highly competitive field of last Saturday's Cougar Invitational at Cedar Rapids Kennedy.

"We've been strong from top to bottom," Derlein said. "We're a very deep team and it shows when we swim our meets."

Berg ranks among the state's best in the 100 breaststroke and 100 back. Berg, who has qualified for state in 12 events the last three years including three top-10 100 breaststroke finishes, ranks third in reported times for the 100 breaststroke with a 1:08.31. She is 10th in the 100 back, recording a time in 1:01.39,

Wagner, a state finalist diver, is third with a top diving score of 384.30. Dunn, who has competed at state each of the last three years, is 14th in the 50 free (25.34).

The Lions have excelled in relays this season, posting the second and fourth best times in the state in the 200 free relay (1:54.56) and 200 medley relay (1:42.63), respectively. The team has focused on relay success, gunning for school records in all three events, which also includes the 400 free relay. The Lions are about four seconds off the 200 medley relay mark of 1:50.45 and two seconds off the 200 free relay record of 1:40.18. Both were set in 2004.

"That's one strong goal they have and they're going to try with everything in their power to achieve it," Derlein said. "I think they'll be able to. We've never been this close at this point of the season."

Potential is hard to gauge for Derlein, because of how much the Lions have already accomplished. He said he is confident they can turn that current ranking into a top-10 finish at the state meet in November.

"The sky is the limit for them," Derlein said. "Whatever they set their minds to I believe they have enough talent and drive to achieve it."