If the early-season results are any indication, the 2014-2015 campaign should be a strong one for the Laurel High Spartans' swimming team. Both the boys and girls teams have started 5-0, beating Crossland, Duval, Parkdale, Northwestern and High Point.
Each squad had four blowouts. The boys' closest match was a 95-64 win over Northwestern while the girls' biggest challenge came in a 94-76 victory over High Point.
The Spartans are gaining confidence and looking like one of the elite teams in Prince George's County as they build toward the county championship Feb. 7 at the Prince George's Learning Center in Landover.
"Our goal is to finish third or better in the county," said Laurel coach John Venet, whose girls and boys teams both placed fourth last year. "But it's a long road. We have a young team with a lot of sophomores and juniors."
Junior Carolyn Sutton won a county and regional championship in the 100-yard butterfly last year. Sutton, who is a straight-A student, also placed 21st in the state in the 100 fly and 17th in the 100 backstroke.
"A swimmer like her doesn't come around often," Venit said. "The last one we had was Jade Hill and I compare her to Jade, who is swimming at North Carolina A&T and was a county and regional champion in the 100 butterfly."
Sutton is in her fifth year of swimming year-round for the Maryland Suburban Swim Club in Laurel.
"She will probably want to do something with swimming in college," Venit said. "She puts a lot of time into training. She is very versatile and can do any of the strokes."
Junior Mia Rutherford finished second in the county and fifth in the region in the 100 breaststroke last season. Rutherford swims year-round for the Patuxent Aquatic Club, in Laurel, and also swims the 100 backstroke and 200 and 500 freestyles.
"She has this mentality-- the more you train the better you become," Venit said. "I love her attitude about training."
Rutherford said she's eager to qualify in the 100 breaststroke for the state championships at the University of Maryland on Feb. 21.
"I really want to make it to states for the breaststroke and hopefully another stroke as well," Rutherford said. "I missed states last year by hundredths of a second."
Sophomore Megan Hendershot (200 individual medley, 100 breast), freshman Tyra Nash (100 fly, 200 free, 100 free) senior Nicole Boddie (100 breast, 200 IM) and junior Madison Tuttle (50 free, 100 free) are the other girls swimmers to watch.
Hendershot, Tuttle, Rutherford and Sutton also form Laurel's 200 medley and 200 freestyle relay teams.
Senior Tyler Carmen (500 free) and junior Adam Gebhardt (200 IM, 100 fly) are the Laurel boys squad. Carmen finished 11th in the 500 free at regionals last year, andGebhardt placed 10th in the 100 fly at regionals.
"He is a very smart swimmer and has a lot of stamina," Venit said of Gebhardt. "He also had a good work ethic and he swims on one of the USA swims, the Patuxent Aquatics Club. He is in the process of taking it to the next level."
Sophomore Kyle Lee (100, free, 50 free), juniors Harsh Patel (200 IM, 500 free) and Jahmari Samuel (100 breast, 200 IM), senior Ariel Quevedo (100 back, 200 IM) and freshman Ivan Zapata (100 fly, 100 backstroke) support Carmen and Gebhart in the boys lineup.
The boys top relay teams include the 400 free relay of Gebhardt, Patel, Carmen and Lee and 200 medley relay of Quevedo, Lee, Samuel and Gebhardt.