As schools begin to let out, biting water temperatures and progressively worse tan lines mark the start of the summer league season in southern Maryland. In the Montgomery County Swim League’s 56th season, swimmers, coaches parents and teams find themselves in new divisions facing new competition, with every division except for the county’s premier division experiencing shake-ups. But among the movers are those traversing up and down the divisional alphabet in leaps and bounds.
Here are three teams making significant divisional jumps in 2015.
Wildwood Manor — Division F to B: A family affair
After an undefeated season in Division F last season, the Wombats moved up four divisions and will be competing in Division B in 2015. They are one of four new teams in the penultimate division, along with Potomac Woods, Mill Creek Towne and Quince Orchard.
The team is led by first year head coach Andrew Tollefson, who recently graduated from North Carolina State and was a member of the Wolfpacks’ varsity men’s team. He replaces his father, John, who coached Wildwood Manor from 2009-14 and helped it move from Division I to Division B. The elder Tollefson retired at the conclusion of last season. Andrew previously coached at Fallsmead and Garrett Park and is a full-time coach for Team Tollefson, a local club run by the family.
At last year’s Division F championship, Wildwood Manor won 15 of the 50 events and won by 101 points. The Wombats also swept to a 5-0 record in dual meets, winning by an average of 166 points.
This season offers a new challenge for the Wombats, with many of their top swimmers aging up from last year. Four nine-year-olds lead a strong 9-10 group that includes Lauren Connelly, Felicitiy Yetter, Joe Flynn and Joe Umhofer. They will be joined by Asher Good, age 10.
Among the 15-18s, Matthew Daza and Haley Nugent add senior leadership to the team and the ability to score big points for the Wombats.
The team is expected to finish fifth in the division this season, five points behind the expected first-place finisher Potomac Woods.
Regency Estates — Division F to C: Return to roots
A year after finishing second behind Wildwood Manor in Division F, Regency Estates will be competing three divisions higher this season in C.
The team relies on strong performances from two of its top athletes, Malia Bush, 12, and rising senior Hannah Lindsey — one of the few U.S. Olympic trials qualifiers in the league. Last season, Bush was undefeated in the division in the 50-meter freestyle and placed sixth in the event at all-stars. Lindsey was undefeated in all of the events she competed in but did not compete at the all-star meet.
The talent doesn’t stop there for the Sailfish. Noah Rutberg, 12, finished fourth in the 50 backstroke and eighth in the 50 butterfly at all-stars last season. The Wright sisters, 14-year-old Beth and 16-year-old Katie, are also slated to have strong seasons.
First-year head coach Laurence Bloch grew up swimming for the team and is also the head coach of Best Times Swim Club. She is joined by assistant head coach Erin O’Connor, who also grew up swimming at Regency Estates and coaches with FINS Swimming in the winter.
“It’s amazing to be able to coach Regency and it feels like things have come full circle,” Bloch said. “It was a little weird at first being on the other side of things, but I love being able to provide the spirit and coaching my coaches provided me.”
In C, the Sailfish will contend against Cedarbrook and Darnestown, teams they have swam against regularly in both ‘A’ and ‘B’ meets in previous years.
“Realizing we’re in Division C, there will be bigger competitors on every team so it will be fun to watch,” Bloch said.
The team relies on infectious spirit from a strong group of older swimmers, according to Bloch, led by four seniors who have come back year after year who epitomize “Regency spirit” — the only thing that will not be a challenge to keep up with in their new division.
“Our chances of winning our division are small, but that doesn’t mean we’re not going to come out and compete,” said Bloch. “Everyone loves a good underdog story.”
Eldwick — Division I to M: Bigger isn’t better
For Eldwick, which finds itself four divisions lower than they were a year ago, the size of its team is its most important characteristic. Despite the fact that the Sharks lost every meet last season, Eldwick still has high hopes for a successful campaign this year in Division M.
Under Coach Theresa Bajorek, the Sharks enter the season ranked second in the pre-season standings — one point behind James Creek. Last season, they had only one all-star qualifier, Dolan Plummer, 12, who finished 14th in the 11-12 boys’ 50 backstroke.
The team’s top 15-18 swimmer, Nicholas Barpoulis, graduated last year leaving another hole for Eldwick to fill. His sister Megan Barpoulis, 18, and Kelsey Ridge, 16, lead the Sharks’ senior girls and both finished well at last year’s divisionals meet.
“Teams that I have worked with in the past have always been on the bigger side, but what I am hands-on learning is that bigger does not always equal better,” Bajorek said.
Although the coaches have embraced the team’s small size, when it comes to putting together a lineup it becomes their biggest challenge. Like other teams in lower divisions, finding enough swimmers to fill lineups, especially six swimmers to swim the freestyle events or enough younger kids who are legally capable of swimming breaststroke and butterfly, is a rarity.
“It is more difficult to win meets when you are outnumbered, so to speak,” Bajorek said. “However, I still believe that the quality of the Sharks’ swimming can overshadow big numbers.”