A Young MVHS Swim Team Hopes For Strength In Numbers

By GANNON HANEVOLD

Moapa Valley Progress

The Moapa Valley High School Swim team looks to build this year with a young roster of talent on both the boys’ and girls’ side of the pool. Despite very few seniors, this year’s group of Pirate swimmers hopes to meet the precedent set by last year’s talented class.
On the boys’ side, the team has zero seniors. But Head Coach Erinn Thompson says that she expects athleticism to take that team a long way.

“I have some boys that are just starting this year that are juniors,” Thompson said. “They’re beginners, but they have natural talent there as far as athletic ability.”

As for the few returners, Thompson highlighted juniors Sam Jolley and Mitchell Lyon, as well as sophomore Dillon Jones, as a few experienced swimmers whom she hopes can lead the team.

“It’s just a matter of fine tuning their skills,” she said. “I have some returners who have some ability and know what to expect and have an ability to lead. I’m looking forward to seeing how they progress.”

One of the strong points of the boys swimming squad this year is its quantity. With twelve boys coming out this year, Thompson is very optimistic.
“In years past, we’ve had smaller boys teams,” she said. “But this year we should be able to mix and match lots of good relay teams.”

The success of last year’s boys relay teams might just be a preview for what these young swimmers can become.

As for the girls, quantity is not an issue there either. With a lot of returning swimmers, Thompson is once again hopeful for what the team can achieve.
“I have quite a few girls this year,” she said. “I have a lot of returners that I think will be able to do really well and I have several who can swim all of the strokes.”

For the girls’ team (and the boys’ as well), a lot of the Southern 3A competition runs through the Boulder City Eagles. The Eagles’ girls squad won their sixth consecutive team State Championship last year, while the boys’ team finished as runner-up to the Truckee Wolverines.

Thompson commented on the success of Moapa Valley’s girls team last year. “All these girls qualified for regionals last year,” she said. “I have a lot of talented girls and it’s just a matter of putting them in spots where I feel they can best perform for the team.”

Specifically, Coach Thompson highlighted just a few of the returning upperclassmen. Seniors Camille Hardy and Marina Mortensen, alongside juniors Emma Walker, Abigail Dursteler, Sara Mills, and Brylee Watkins, are just a few of the many talented swimmers the girls bring to the table this season.

After a hopeful conclusion to 2018’s swimming season, Coach Erinn Thompson hopes to bring back some of that excitement in 2019. The Pirates will look to overcome inexperience with raw athleticism in the pool, and hope to qualify a handful of swimmers for the State meet.

Their first meet will take place on Saturday, March 16, in Las Vegas against Valley High School.