2011 girls swim teams to watch

DECORAH - The Vikings posted its second straight top-10 state finish, placing a school-best sixth. Decorah lost two key figures in sisters Hannah and Mary Kathryn Maher to graduation, but have defending 200 individual medley state champion Allison Orvis and Marea Holkesvik, who competed at state in both diving and swimming events. Depth and balance will need to be developed during the season.

IOWA CITY WEST - A strong nucleus of swimmers, including all but three 2010 state meet qualifiers, returns for a top-10 team from last season. The Women of Troy have been a consistent power under head coach Rob Miecznikowski, who was excited about the young talent last year. Depth, balance and major point scorers, including Lilian Zhu, Savannah Butler and Kathleen Bowman, could lead to another strong season.

LINN-MAR - The Lions have been one of the top regular-season performers in the Metro the last few years. Even though the high team finish at state has eluded them, the Lions have had one of the more balanced squads. Emilie Berg highlights the Linn-Mar lineup with Alex Dunn and Nicole Larsen serving as key contributors. Potential exists for the Lions to continue their success this season.