Boys swimming

Region Rundown

Star Gazing

Kevin Behrens, Jr., Munster

Murray Crabtree, Sr., Munster

Tyler Fozkos, Jr., Chesterton

Cameron Miller, Jr., Michigan City

Ben Scheurich, Sr, Rensselaer

Chris Schreier, Sr., Portage

Dillon Thompson, Jr., Munster

Kyle Whitaker, Sr., Chesterton

Joe Wulf, Sr., Munster

Blake Yeager, Jr., Crown Point

Top 10

1. Munster

2. Chesterton

3. Lake Central

4. Portage

5. Crown Point

6. Valparaiso

7. Rensselaer

8. Highland

9. Lowell

10. Kankakee Valley

Duneland Athletic Conference

Favorite: Chesterton

Darkhorse: Valparaiso

Great Lakes Athletic Conference

Favorite: Morton

Darkhorse: Hammond

Greater South Shore Conference

Favorite: Wheeler

Darkhorse: North Newton

Northwest Crossroads Conference

Favorite: Munster

Darkhorse: Highland

Northwestern Conference

Favorite: Roosevelt 

DUNELAND ATHLETIC CONFERENCE

CHESTERTON

Swimmers to watch: Tyler Fozkos, Jr., free, relays; Joe Gerard, Fr., sprints; Matt Rosiecki, Sr., breast; Kyle Whitaker, Sr., fly, IM, relays; Taylor Zakhar, Sr., sprints.

Outlook: A third straight state team championship could be a tall order with the graduation of six-time champ Bill Bass. Whitaker (nine titles) and Fozkos (four) remain key cogs for the lineup, but the rest of the lineup must step up this season to continue past successes. Coach Kevin Kinel said senior divers Robbie Surber and Jake Brehmer could provided some needed points.

Quote: "I feel a lot better about this season now than before we started. The kids are doing a good job of filling some holes." -- Kinel

CROWN POINT

Swimmers to watch: Blake Yeager, Jr., freestyle; Marcus Trybula, Jr., freestyle; Tyler Croell, Jr., diving; Josh Glass, Sr., distance; Nick Irak, Jr., diving.

Outlook: A strong Bulldogs team returns several swimmers that made a visit to state last season. Talented senior and junior classes want to make another run downstate.

Quote: "I'm looking for some people to step up, and I think I have a team that believes that they can do that, to step up and get out of the sectionals." -- coach Doug Norris

LAKE CENTRAL

Swimmers to watch: Teryn Solan, Jr., distance; Ryan Hunter, Sr., breaststroke, IM; Ryan Bartock, Sr., backstroke.

Outlook: Sixth-year coach Todd Smolinski has talent returning in Hunter, Bartock and Solan, who should score plenty for the Indians. After state-ranked swimmers, including two-time breaststroke champ Chris Johnson, graduated, L.C. will need others to fill in the voids.

Quote: "I think we're a team of depth and a lot of talent that is will be competitive with some of the best teams." -- Smolinski

LAPORTE

Divers to watch: Josh Batten, Jr., diving; Derek Smith, Jr., diving.

Outlook: The Slicers have one of the stronger diving lineups in the area. Batten qualified for state last season, while Smith was fourth at the sectional.

MERRILLVILLE

Swimmers to watch: Jacob Caddick, Jr., breaststroke, freestyle; Colin Burke, Sr., backstroke, butterfly.

Outlook: The numbers are up from recent year, but the team is considered young and experienced. Coach Ladd Downham will be challenged by coaching them up from Day 1 to compete in the challenging DAC.

Quote: "The first few meets will be a key to see how we can compete." -- Downham

MICHIGAN CITY

Swimmer to watch: Cameron Miller, Jr., breast, IM.

Outlook: After coming close the last two years, Miller is the favorite in the 100 breast at the state meet. Miller's presence is important on the roster.

Quote: "(Miller) has elevated the entire lineup." -- coach Dan Jenkins

PORTAGE

Swimmers to watch: Alec Back, Sr., diver; Evan Dominguez, Sr., IM, free; Kendrick Lo, Sr., sprints; Kenny Longfellow, Jr., distance; Chris Schreier, Sr., sprints, relays.

Outlook: Back qualified for state as a sophomore, and he returns after missing his junior season with a back injury. Chris Schreier has qualified for state the last two years. Freshmen Alex Schreier, Chris' younger brother, and Cole Ozbolt should strengthen the lineup.

Quote: "I feel pretty good about this year. It's always been pretty cyclical for us, and this year we're on top of the barrel." -- coach John Zack

VALPARAISO

Swimmers to watch: Johnny Bednar, So., sprints; Dion Low, So., breast, IM; James Raber, Sr., diving; Conner Sunday, So., fly, back; Tony Trinoski, Jr., diving.

Outlook: Raber and Trinoski advanced to state last season. The sophomore trio will build on their experiences, while senior Alex Porucznik (back, free) and junior Matt Cain (back, distance) continue to grow in the pool. All of these factors make the Vikings one of the formidable opponents in the league.

Quote: "I think this will be our strongest season. Our younger guys have jumped in and really stepped up. Cain and Porucznik just started swimming as freshmen, and they are coming into their own." -- coach Zach Hall

GREAT LAKES ATHLETIC CONFERENCE

CLARK

Outlook: The Pioneers will try to build with newcomers in the pool to have any type of success. The key will be development with plenty of youth in the program.

GAVIT

Swimmers to watch: Jose Palmeren, Sr., backstroke; Jonny Gamez, Jr., IM, relays; Dan Westerhaff, So., distance.

Outlook: Palmeren leads a large group of swimmers returning to the pool. With experienced swimmers filling all the events, a run at a conference title is in the making.

Quote: "I think we can win the conference. I know it's a big goal, but with all the returners I'm confident." -- coach Bobbie Hayes

HAMMOND

Swimmers to watch: Miguel Marquez, Sr., freestyle; William Rincon, Jr., backstroke; Amadeus Howard, So., IM, butterfly.

Outlook: Marquez is the unquestioned leader in the pool for Hammond. With more numbers on the roster, filling the relays should be easier, which can give the Wildcats more points to help to try to catch Morton in the conference.

Quote: "Our goal is to win the conference and with the numbers up we can be more competitive." -- coach Sue Ann Mathewson

MORTON

Swimmers to watch: Roni Horgan, Sr., breaststroke, butterfly; Bo Daniels, Sr., breaststroke, freestyle; David Santana, Jr., 200, 500.

Outlook: Horgan is the captain of a Governors team that won the conference last season. Everyone returns with more swimmers coming on board as well. Repeating a conference title is the goal for the hard-working group.

Quote: "The boys have come in every day and done what we've asked them to do and it's a good season." -- coach Brian Rycerz

GREATER SOUTH SHORE CONFERENCE

BISHOP NOLL

Swimmers to watch: Wally Kasprzycki, Jr., butterfly; AJ Cardenas, Jr., freestyle, breaststroke; Steven Jackson, Fr., backstroke, IM; Jake Miller, Fr., freestyle.

Outlook: Numbers are up this year for the Warriors with talented junior and freshman classes leading the way.

Quote: "They are a dedicated team and I couldn't ask for a better group of kids to work with." -- coach Pam Armagast

CALUMET

Swimmers to watch: Daniel Arroyo, Sr., IM, breaststroke; David Hoernig, Sr., freestyle.

Outlook: Arroyo and Hoernig are going to have to carry the team in terms of leadership and helping develop the younger swimmers on the roster. With as much youth as there is on the team, coaching them up all season is the main objective.

Quote: "I hope to see them up climb up from second place into a higher position when sectional season comes around." -- coach Danelle Bulatovich

NORTH NEWTON

Swimmers to watch: Jacob Schuitema, Jr., freestyle; Josh Klahn, Sr., freestyle; Curt Holt, Jr., freestyle, backstroke.

Outlook: The eight-member team is the deepest at North Newton in some time. The Spartans will try to claim second in the conference behind Wheeler and hope to improve and get more points from new divers.

Quote: "The team is working on making their personal bests and (Schuitema) is hoping to break the school record in the 50 free." -- coach Karen Cunningham

WHEELER

Swimmers to watch: Blake Buczek, Sr., 200 free, relays; Collin Gallahger, Sr., IM, fly; Josh Jetmund, Sr., diving; Steve Schnell, Sr., sprints; Michael Tasicas, Fr., sprints.

Outlook: Once the Bearcats heal, they could have a quality season. Buczek has a respiratory infection and he hasn't been able to practice much so far. Schnell has been slowed by elbow tendonitis.

Quote: "It's definitely killing Blake. He's attended all of the practices, but it's been tough to get him in the pool. It's just a question of how quickly our guys mend." -- coach Rob Gass

NORTHWEST CROSSROADS CONFERENCE

GRIFFITH

Swimmers to watch: Jake Long, Sr., butterfly; Jake Anderson, Sr., diving; Zach Pirtle, Jr., sprints; Zach Bozinovich, Jr., backstroke; Danny Bolda, Fr., breaststroke.

Outlook: The senior-laded Panthers should be competitive in the NCC.

Quote: "I am really excited to see these young men compete this year. They have really been working hard and should see positive results." -- coach Sam Fies

HIGHLAND

Swimmer to watch: Adam Johnston, So., sprints; Matt Dyer, sprints, breaststroke.

Outlook: With a heavy dose of losses due to graduation, the Trojans will enter the season with a youthful optimism that features a boatload of good sophomores.

Quote: "Right now we see ourselves to fall in second. What are we going to do with Munster though?" -- coach Ryan Harrington

HOBART

Swimmers to watch: Eric Leonard, Sr., sprints, IM; Craig Courteau, Sr., freestyle.

Outlook: A roster of 14 is trying to improve from meet to meet. Newcomer Kendall Gunn, who will swim sprints, comes in from the football field and will try to inject some interest for the raw team.

Quote: We have a young and inexperienced roster and just hope to get better by the end of the year." -- coach Cindy Carter

KANKAKEE VALLEY

Swimmers to watch: Jacob Patzsche, Sr., sprints, diver; John Rawlings Jr., Sr., all-around, relays.

Outlook: A realistic goal of finishing third in the NCC is the bar set for the Kougars, who return the entire roster from last season. K.V. coach Dan Roberts brings 20 years of experience to the pool for the largest group of swimmers he's had in Wheatfield.

Quote: "We finished seventh in a very difficult Crown Point Sectional last year and we want to improve on that and get better this year." -- Roberts

LOWELL

Swimmers to watch: Mike Besaw, Sr., fly, distance; Ries Plank, Jr., sprints, backstroke; Connor Wood, So., IM, breaststroke.

Outlook: A young squad is led by the seniors and Wood, who has the potential to make it to state. Numbers are about at the same for third-year coach Christine Bisacchi, who hopes to finish around third in the NCC.

Quote: "We have a dedicated group of swimmers, which I like." -- Bisacchi

MUNSTER

Swimmers to watch: Kevin Behrens, Jr., 100 butterfly, backstroke; Joe Wulf, Sr., breaststroke, IM, relays; Dillon Thompson, Jr., 200 IM, 500 freestyle; Patrick Raycroft, Sr., IM; Murray Crabtree, Sr., 100 backstroke.

Outlook: The state preseason No. 1 Seahorses come into the season with a target on their backs and deservedly so with this talented group. A slew of swimmers have plans to swim collegiately. Second-year coach Matt Pavlovich will have competition at the state level with perennial favorites Carmel and Hamilton Southeastern.

Quote: "We have a really solid group of juniors and seniors this year. Being the state preseason No. 1 is nice, but it really doesn't mean a whole lot and we have a lot to accomplish." -- Pavlovich

NORTHWESTERN CONFERENCE

ROOSEVELT

Outlook: Coach Clay Leek has a group that he hopes to be competitive this year. Improvement needs to be made throughout the season if the Panthers hope to have any type of winning season.

OTHERS

E.C. CENTRAL

Outlook: The Cardinals will need to feed off their seniors and hope to see development from their younger swimmers if they want to make any noise. With an eye toward success at the end of the season, they will need to find points in different events.

RENSSELAER

Outlook: Good athletes return to the pool this year for the Bombers that want to improve on their success and make larger gains this season. They are optimistic they can make strides this season.

Compiled by Jim Hunsley and Ryan Metz, The Times