Fall sports: Upperclassmen welcome newcomers to Fairfield swim team

The Fairfield swim team lost half of its roster to graduation a year ago, but in their place come six more newcomers for first-year head coach Jane McMahon.

And the six returning members are all seasoned swimmers who will be looked upon to carry much of the load.

Senior Abby McMahon and sophomores Baylee Bowman and Jade Greiner are the leaders of that group, and will be asked to swim a wide variety of events each night. But they also have specialties and should make for a strong first three legs of the medley relay with Bowman swimming the backstroke, McMahon handling the breaststroke and Greiner taking on the butterfly.

The trio has been part of a state club swimming record in the relay and has already been leaders in the preseason.

?Our seasoned swimmers are already swimming between 3,000 and 5,000 yards per day, and it?s great to be able to come in and put those distances in right away,? McMahon said. ?Everybody is really coming along.?

Juniors Claire Slechta, Hanna Kerr and diver Jaci Bell also return with experience in the water. Bell just missed out state tournament qualifying position a year ago on the diving board, but will shoot for state again this year with McMahon, Bowman and Greiner.

The newcomers are, for the most part, brand new to the sport, and will be available to help out however possible. Seniors Megan Palmer, Magge Carlos and Yenifer Jimenez lead that group and should see a wide range of events from night to night.

?Instead of one individual, it?s going to be a combination of those six newcomers helping out,? said McMahon. ?They will round out some events, but the goal this year is for them to get in there and participate.?

Those kind of individual gains are something the whole team will be focused on, simply because of the strength at the top of the lineup as well as relatively low numbers.

?It?s always harder for us, size-wise, going up against 4A schools, but this year, our focus is on individual performances and improvement,? McMahon added. ?I do expect some of the ladies to win their events, but girls will also have to be swimming events they have never done before.?

While 2011 is McMahon?s first year as head coach, swimming is far from foreign territory for her as she has been a volunteer assistant the past few years. Thus far, it has been a seamless transition into practice, which can be attributed to the time put in the last several seasons.

?They?re used to being around me, they?re used to the style of workouts, so we aren?t starting at square one,? she said.

The Trojans will begin the swimming season in their home pool Aug. 30 vs. Ottumwa.