For nearly a decade, the Baltimore-area private school swimming scene hasn't much changed, with Loyola dominating the boys competition and Notre Dame Prep doing so likewise on the girls side.
This season, the Dons and Blazers are once again the favored teams, but all indications are that the once monumental gap has narrowed.
In the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association, Loyola has won nine straight league championships, not lost a dual meet since 1993 and took last season's title by a whopping 185 points over second-place McDonogh. But the Dons will get a stiff test this season in their drive for double digits.
Loyola graduated seven seniors, and the bulk of the team is comprised of a strong sophomore class, led by Nick Taylor. As a freshman, Taylor swam a leg on Loyola's MIAA record-setting 200-yard freestyle relay team, which finished in 1 minute, 28.52 seconds. He also set an MIAA JV record in the 50 free with a time of 23.64.
Loyola's top seniors include Jamie Hopkins, who will compete in the 200 individual medley and 100 breaststroke, and freestyler Colin Soper.
"We're not as fast as last year," said Loyola coach Keith Schertle. "This looks likes everybody else's best chance to knock us off. Our depth is pretty good, but there's a chance we won't be top three in many events. We should be back next year, because this sophomore class is a very talented group."
A good indication of whether Loyola will have the mettle to make it 10 straight will come early when the Dons face McDonogh in a dual meet. The Eagles have 19 swimmers on this year's team, up from 12, which means they can now field entrants in every event. McDonogh is led by dominating freestyling senior Tim Newton, the MIAA defending champion in both the 200 and 500 free. Sophomore Drew Pallace and junior Matt Fedderly are also expected to be major contributors.
"We have enough bodies now, but I'm not sure we have enough depth," McDonogh coach Scott Ward said. "This year could be interesting, but Loyola is still the favorite."
Three other teams expected to contend in the MIAA are Calvert Hall, Gilman and Mount St. Joseph. Calvert Hall graduated five and will have to overcome the loss of standout senior Tim Marshall, who decided to concentrate on lacrosse, according to Calvert Hall coach George Kropp.
But the Cardinals had a strong JV that placed second last season, and most of those swimmers enter the season in good condition thanks to their participation in water polo. Sophomore backstroker Jeff Malone, freshman Zachery Anderson, junior distance swimmer Alex Thomas and divers David Roesner and Jonathan Galinsky will be the backbone of Kropp's team.
"We don't have the stars, but we do have depth in quite a few events," Kropp said.
Like McDonogh, Gilman will also be bolstered by a stronger turnout. The Greyhounds have 24 swimmers, up from 17 last year, and will field a full team for the first time since 1999. Gilman lost just one senior and returns one of the area's best in junior Yuyu Zhang. Sophomore Chris Morrow and freshman Andrew Clark are both year-round swimmers, and junior diver Doug Scott will be in contention for an MIAA title.
In the Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland, the lines have been drawn between defending champion NDP and perennial runner-up McDonogh.
NDP has won all three IAAM titles and took five straight Catholic League championships before that. The Eagles defeated NDP head-to-head in the regular season last year, but later fell by a 14-point margin at the IAAM championships.
On paper, it appears NDP is once again the favorite. The Blazers graduated three seniors who accounted for 82 of their 403 points at the IAAM championships, but McDonogh lost five seniors who scored 154 of the Eagles' 389 points.
NDP is led by senior standout captain Bridget Kimmel, who swept all four of her events at the IAAM championships as a sophomore.
Kimmel is joined by juniors Katherine Godwin and Katie Hopkins.
"When you've been on top as long as we have, you're bound to eventually get toppled," NDP coach Lisa Wiegmann said. "If anybody can do it, it'll be McDonogh."
Like the Eagles' boys team, the girls program is getting more interest.
McDonogh had 30 swimmers come out, up from 25 last year and 18 in 2000-01.
Senior Liz Williams, an All-American in the 100 free, won big at last year's IAAM's, also taking the 50 free, and swimming legs on the champion 200 and 400 free relay teams.
Sophomore Claire Hutchinson won the 500 free, swam a leg on the 200 free relay team and was the runner-up in the 200 free, while junior Danielle Spearman also swam legs on the 200 and 400 free relay teams. McDonogh will also look to two freshmen, Kelly Peloquin and Anne-Marie Botek, to replace some of the points from the five graduates.
"Based on graduated points, I'd say NDP is the favorite," Ward said. "The league continues to improve. Our goal is to try to win, but going into the season, I think we're No. 2."
The talent level drops off considerably after the top two in the IAAM. The race for third place will be between Mount de Sales and Archbishop Spalding. Mount de Sales graduated four, but three were captains and two were the team's leading point producers. Sophomores Kristin Warwick and Cathy Gallagher lead a young team with just five seniors out of 26 swimmers.
First-year coach Amy Hoch takes over at Spalding. The Cavaliers will be paced by juniors Gretchen Peltzer and Kelsey Hunter.
In Harford County, where the teams are co-ed, C. Milton Wright remains the top team. The Mustangs have taken two straight and three of the past four team titles and return the majority of their girls side.
Wright has 16 girls back, including the nearly unbeatable Patty Rawlick. The senior who "dominates in everything," according to Wright coach Larry Ashman, has won 96 out of 98 races in her high school career.
Rawlick is joined by juniors Maureen McLaughlin and Shannon Dunnigan.
McLaughlin is a force in the freestyle events, and Dunnigan is a strong distance swimmer.
The Mustangs' boys side has nine swimmers back and is led by senior Steve Bane, junior Eric Hansman and sophomore Josh Knight.
Wright's closest competition should come from Fallston, Bel Air and North Harford.
In the city, Poly will look to repeat last season's dominant performance under the guidance of first-year coach Rahim Booth. The Engineers have 12 returning swimmers and look to be unchallenged on the girls side. Sophomore Rebecca Rehr, senior Kate Guth and sophomore Alida Gerritsen lead the Poly girls.
The boys team, led by senior Casey Hill and freshman David Guth, will be challenged by Walbrook and City.