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Raider swimmers qualify for regions
When a coach says, “It’s a rebuilding year,” that is usually the nice way of explaining that a team is young, inexperienced and losing a lot of games.
And, sure, the Stonewall Jackson swim team heading into the post-season at 1-6 certainly qualifies for that distinction.
What is often-times left out of the equation though is the work ethic and ability among the youngest players and if the team is truly building a path to a better future.
Freshmen like Brooke Rodriquez and Carrie VanBuskirk can help rookie Raiders coach Dot Collins prove her point when she says her team is rebuilding but “has a lot of potential.”
The two ninth graders qualified to compete in the Northwest District regional meet as members of the 200 yard freestyle and medley relay teams. Both earned regional births alongside teammates Kelly Fini and junior captain Erin VanBuskirk after competing in the Cedar Run District championship last weekend
More impressively, Rodriguez clinched spots in the 100 yard breaststroke and the 50 yard freestyle and the younger VanBuskirk is in for the 200 yard individual medley and the 100 yard butterfly. Only senior Fini qualified for two regional events on the girls’ team otherwise.
“[Rodriguez] has an incredible amount of talent,” said Collins, calling the freshman a “fierce competitor.” She finished sixth out of 32 in the 50 freestyle in an event where the top eight earn a place in regions.
The level of competition was stiff enough at districts that Erin VanBuskirk, coming off a season-long shoulder injury, finished less than a second after Rodriguez but did not qualify for regions as an individual, coming in fifteenth.
“…That tells you how close it all is,” said Collins.
By the same token, Collins stated that 80 percent of her swimmers put up their best times of the season at the district finale.
“The kids had a ton of improvement (since) the start of the season,” she said, later adding, “Kids that went from barely making it (are) starting to show times that are respectable.”
Stonewall’s boys have young starlets too with two freshmen and a sophomore leading the 200 yard freestyle relay team to a regional birth.
Michael Thornburg, Luke Goldman, Sean Powlay and junior Richard Thai managed to extend their collective season one more round after a strong showing in districts propelled them to Feb. 1 meet at the Freedom Aquatic and Fitness Center in Manassas.
That came without junior Patrick Dimond, who has been one of the Raiders’ top point scorers this season. Added to the mix was that freshman Goldman was so sick his coach recommended him scratching his individual events in favor of just competing in the relay.
Like a gritty veteran, Goldman still hit the water and came out with his team advancing to the next round of the playoffs.
“He’s definitely a great hope for the future,” commented Collins.
No Stonewall swimmers qualified for states after the district meet. According to Collins, one of the girls’ relay teams or Kelly Fini in the 500 freestyle may be able to pull something out in regions in order to qualify. Rodriguez has an outside chance in the 100 breaststroke and the 50 freestyle, the coach added.
In order for that to happen though, Collins said, she, like everyone else, “has to bring her A-plus game.”
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