Freshmen helping Washington swim team surprise

CEDAR RAPIDS - Returning from a winless 2013 dual meet season with more than half of its varsity girls' swimming roster comprised of freshmen surely meant another long, rocky season for Cedar Rapids Washington, right?

It's been nothing of the sort.

'The biggest thing that has surprised me is how cohesive they are,” said Washington Coach Megan Lewis, whose Warriors seek their fifth dual win this season when they host Dubuque Hempstead Tuesday night at 6. 'They are a complete one full unit, which is really nice to see. They're just working really well together as a group.”

Lewis has forged a productive blend of talent from returnees such as Logan Eckhardt and Kaitlyn Nemickas with talented freshmen replete with club swim experience. Swimming to the head of the freshman class has been Emily Nelson, the Warriors most effective distance swimmer with three wins apiece in the 200 freestyle and the 500 for Washington (4-3, 2-3 Mississippi Valley Conference).

'It definitely boosted my confidence,” said Nelson, who also has two victories in the 100 butterfly and one 200 individual medley win. 'But I always like to keep pushing myself to see how much better I can get. Even if I have wins, I still want to push myself and stay humble.”

Throw in fellow freshmen Lauren Havertape (five individual wins plus six relays) and Caitlin Sievers (three individual, three relays) and it's clear the future is bright for Washington swimming.

'I'm just excited for the years to come,” Nelson said.

UPPING THE ANTE

Decorah girls' swimming coach Kyrie Jorgenson admits she was surprised at what she had when she returned to her alma mater last year. Now firmly entrenched in her second season, the 2007 graduate and former state qualifier is raising not only expectations, but practice intensity.

'The first year I just came into it with no expectations,” Jorgenson said. 'But I realized how fast our girls are. ... After seeing a couple of meets, I knew the girls could swim with the top of the state. Coming into the second year I knew that we were going to have faster swimmers again and I knew what to do for practices.”

Jorgenson indicated she follows the successful Cedar Falls model - challenging practices where swimmers should expect to be pushed hard. The efforts have bore fruit with the continued development of top distance swimmer Katie Hagensick, plus the emergence of freshmen cousins Amelia and Micala Folkedahl.

'They are very, very fast and they work hard at practice,” Jorgenson said of the Folkedahls. 'If we can keep working on them, they will do good things.”

SHOWDOWN TONIGHT

First place in the MVC Valley division is on the line Tuesday night at 6 when Cedar Rapids Kennedy (6-0, 5-0 MVC) hosts perennial power Cedar Falls (7-0, 6-0 MVC).

'Women's swimming and diving in the state of Iowa is in really great shape,” Kennedy Coach John Ross said. 'I say it every year - faster and faster, and we're trying to keep pace.”

l Comments: douglas.miles@thegazette.com