ETV News stock photo by Dusty Butler
The Spartans will dive into another season, ready to improve on last year. Emery brings back roughly 40 swimmers to go along with 18 freshmen for a good balance between experience and youth. While some top swimmers moved on and graduated, head coach Alicia Whitzel believes this year’s team will have more depth and, as a result, score higher.
“We lost some top swimmers, but we have more that will take the middle of the pack, so we will have more points,” explained Whitzel. With that being said, there are state podium returners on the girls’ side, including Aubrey Guymon and Sydney Carter.
The region will once again be an all-out dog fight as it contains many capable teams. “We just have a really strong region. It’s going to be really competitive again this year, but we have a chance in both boys and girls to take region,” Whitzel said. “We will be competitive this year, winning region is the goal for both teams.”
The Lady Spartans were close last year, coming in second to Carbon. “Our girls stay pretty consistent. We did gain some swimmers in boys and girls,” mentioned Whitzel. “We have a lot of underclassmen that are coming up.”
Those underclassmen have shown signs of improvement and will add reinforcements to the team. The Spartans’ hope is that greater depth will lead them on the path to two region titles.
“I’m excited, we have a good group of kids,” concluded Whitzel. “It will be fun.”