Girls 2009 swim season preview

Labor Day's approaching, so that means another season of high school swimming is upon us. Here's a preview of what to expect this year in Div. 2:

-- DeForest has won three straight D2 titles; can they make it four? The Norskies lost a trio of state meet veterans, including distance swimmers Molly Anderson and Karmyn Vandewettering. But a strong core of swimmers return -- distance ace Casey Wolter, sprinter/breaststroker Lindsey Verhulst, and sophomores Leah Winckler and Chelsea Statz, whose strong showings at state last year as freshmen catapulted DeForest to its third straight title. DeForest's formula for winning is lots of depth, talent at the distance events that few teams can match, and three solid relays. They may need to rebuild some of their depth in the distance events, but this is a very versatile group of swimmers, and the rest of the D2 field has a lot of catching up to do -- DeForest won its title last year by 56.5 points. Come November, the Norskies could be tough to topple from their throne.

-- Whitefish Bay features a senior-dominated class with lots of state meet experience, led by senior sprinter Maggie Smith. She'll be looking for her first state title in an individual event after five top-five finishes in the past three years, including two silver medals. WBay will be a deep team this year, with seniors such as Lauren Van Loon and Annie Maercklein returning after qualifying for the state meet last year.

-- Grafton returns senior Sadie Nenning, a backstroke specialist who finished second last year in the 100 back after winning the event her first two years at state. The state runners-up from last year will have to fill some holes left by departing distance swimmer Brianna Dietz, but they also can count on three of the top five returning divers from last year's D2 state meet.

-- Does any D2 team have a better one-two punch than Shorewood? It's doubtful -- senior Elli Sellinger and junior Claire Chamberlain each won a state title and had a runner-up finish at the state meet last year, and were key cogs in Shorewood's second-place finish in the 400-free relay. Seniors Hallie Sanders and Lauren Lanphere return for Shorewood; if this team develops a bit more depth, they could move up from last year's 6th-place finish in the D2 team race.

-- Sturgeon Bay came into last year's D2 state meet with high hopes, only to be disappointed with its 14th-place showing. The team returns nearly all of its top swimmers from last year, including state meet veterans Sierra Townsend, McKenzie Trelka, and Erin Hogan, along with several others. Watch out for Townsend's younger sister Savanna; she could emerge as one of D2's top freshmen.

-- Can McFarland come close to replicating the success of its boys program, which has won three straight boys D2 titles? That may be a tall order, but the Spartans return a solid group of swimmers, including state meet qualifiers Chloe Bartuska, Stirling Smith and Hannah Bristol. McFarland probably tapered for the state meet as well as any team last year; if their relays can move into the top tier of finishers at the state meet (they were 10th, 11th, and 13th last year), the Spartans could dramatically improve upon their 12th-place team finish.

-- Madison Edgewood finished 5th last year at state, and with most of their top swimmers returing, the Crusaders are looking to move up a few spots. Senior sprinter Kelsey Richards leads a strong group of somewhat young swimmers; Edgewood brought in a terrific freshman class last year that should continue to develop. With graduation taking five of the top divers from D2, sophomore diver Sheridan Hearn will look to improve her 11th place showing from last year.

-- Other teams to watch: Elkhorn will be led by senior Terrin Seaver, a three-year state meet qualifier, and sophomore sprinter Rachel Johnson; Sauk Prairie returns juniors Alison Meng and Kelsey Kohlbeck, but will have to replace 100 free champion Abby Diehl; Monona Grove returns state meet qualifiers Kelsey Millin and Elizabeth Emmerich, but like Sauk Prairie will have to replace a state champ (Hayley Martin, 50 free).

-- Other swimmers to watch: Brookfield Academy junior Kelsey Hojan-Clark was named the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel's swimmer of the year after winning both the 200 and 500 free last year; Plymouth's Kate Criter won the ultra-fast 100 breaststroke last year as a freshman; Milton senior Jennah Haney hopes to recapture her 100 breaststroke title that she won as both a freshman and sophomore; Berlin/Green Lake junior Siri Smits returns to defend her 100-back title that she won in record time last year; Waukesha Catholic Memorial's Anna Meinholz had an outstanding freshman year that culminated in a 3rd-place finish at state in the 100 breaststroke.