Metro swimmers unite for medley success

CEDAR RAPIDS – It is the time when fall rivals become winter teammates.

There really is no off-season for swimmers. Once the high school season ends, another begins with one of over 30 competitive swim teams across the state.

Four girls' swimmers – representing three separate Metro schools – parlayed a successful conclusion to the high school season with qualification as a 200-yard medley relay team for the YMCA national meet April 4-8 in Greensboro, N.C.

At a Nov. 21 YMCA dual meet at the Helen G. Nassif pool, Jessica Williams and Maddie Bagby of Cedar Rapids Kennedy, Jefferson's Josie Thompson and Caitlin Sievers of Washington posted a faster medley time than the 1:50.99 cutoff required for inclusion in the national meet.

'It was a goal of ours,” Thompson said. 'We kind of came off of a high school taper and tried to qualify the first meet we could, which we did.”

The milestone came two weeks after the state championships in Marshalltown.

The medley relay combines four differing swim strokes, each for 50 yards. Williams led off with the backstroke, Sievers swam the breastroke, Thompson the butterfly and Bagby the freestyle. The quartet are led by coaches Greg Gibson and Thompson's grandfather, former Washington Coach Jim Voss.

'It would be one of the top goals we have,” Gibson said of qualifying for the YMCA national meet. 'It's really special that we've got a group of four girls who can compete on the national level.”

Bagby and Williams posted top-5 performances at the state meet and each own a Kennedy school record – Bagby in the 100-yard freestyle (53.05), Williams in the 100 backstroke (58.17). Williams also qualified for YMCA nationals individually, eclipsing the 59.49-second backstroke cutoff time.

'I think it's finally falling into place for me,” Williams said. 'The technique is finally really becoming solid and my endurance is getting better.”

All four girls have at least one season of high school competition left before they move on to college, but by competing in the 15 to 21 age group at YMCA nationals, they'll get an early introduction into competition against collegiate swimmers.

'I think they understand that and that's a great challenge for them,” said Voss. 'It's just part of the process, but it's a learning process. If you're a good age group swimmer and you're used to winning, now all of a sudden you've got kids swimming that are three, four years older than you. It makes a big difference.”

Voss – a member of the Iowa High School Swim Coaches Association Hall of Fame after winning 15 boys' state championships at Washington – will conduct a swimming clinic for ages eight and above Jan. 17 at Stoney Point YMCA to help fund the trip. Voss says the ability of these four girls from three different Metro schools to come together for common goals at the national level is indicative of the closeness of the Eastern Iowa swimming community.

'I think that's one thing where swimmers are great,” Voss said. 'You go to a swimming meet and you want your team to warm up, and all of a sudden they're talking with someone they swim against in another part of the year. You can't begrudge them that feeling because that's part of what swimming is. Swimming is a tight-knit group. … They support one another, and these four girls are really committed to doing that.”

l Comments: douglas.miles@thegazette.com