THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, January 12, 1995 TAG: 9501100150
SECTION: NORFOLK COMPASS PAGE: 18 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY PATTI WALSH, COMPASS SPORTS EDITOR
LENGTH: Long : 159 lines
ALTHOUGH GRADUATION claimed eight of its nine All-American swimmers, Norfolk Academy is expected to take both the boys and girls swimming crowns in the Tidewater Conference of Independent Schools race.
However, the TCIS has a host of talented individuals who are capable of scoring points for their teams, and that promises to make the road to the title more interesting than it has been in past years.
``It's not going to be as easy as it has been,'' Norfolk Academy coach Jay Leach said. ``You never know what can happen if somebody can get some big dogs at the end of the season.''
One big dog Leach can count on to take top honors again is three time All-American Bess Frank, who has already been accepted to Princeton. Frank placed 12th at the Junior Nationals and is being heavily recruited by Arizona State, Virginia and the University of Miami.
Other girls to watch around the pools are Norfolk Collegiate's Melanie Stein, who was named the TCIS' most valuable swimmer as a seventh grader; Walsingham's Tiffany Whittaker, who has set school records in the 100, 200 and 500 freestyle events, as well as in the 500 individual medley, and Norfolk Christian's Heather Land, a junior who swam for ODAC.
In the boys race, league coaches expect Cape Henry's Mark Laboccetta and Jimmy Frye to have a direct impact on the Dolphins' second-year program and Keith Kline will boost Norfolk Collegiate.
A look at how the TCIS boys and girls teams will fare:
BOYS NORFOLK ACADEMY Coach: Jay Leach.
Top returnees: Chris Totushek, Sr., freestyle; Daniel Gulick, Sr., butterfly freestyle; Richard Savage, Sr., backstroke, freestyle; Chip Cutchins, Jr., backstroke, freestyle; Teddy Rice, Jr., breaststroke, butterfly; Robert Wyckoff, So., breaststroke; Will Roberts, So., diver; Deepak Thomas, Fr., butterfly.
Top newcomers: Dustin Walters, 8th grader, breaststroke, freestyle, I.M.; Gary Sharpe, 8th grader, freestyle, backstroke.
Outlook: Despite the loss of its top swimmers, the Bulldogs' feeder program keeps them competitive year after year.
Leach's top swimmers are concentrating on swimming their lifetime bests. In fact, Totushek has dropped to :22.7 in the 50 free and Wycoff has dropped his time in the breaststroke by a second.
CATHOLIC Coach: John O'Hara.
Top returnees: James Stull, So., butterfly; Josh Partlow, So., backstroke; Dustin Harmeyer, Sr., free-style; Dana Harmeyer, Jr., freestyle; Anthony Olivar, Sr., freestyle.
Top newcomers: Kian Tan, Sr., breaststroke.
Outlook: The Crusaders have 16 boys from which to build. Tan, a senior who is a first-year swimmer, is swimming so well he has O'Hara wondering where he's been the last three years.
``I'm tickled to death with the progress,'' O'Hara said.
NANSEMOND-SUFFOLK Coach: Kathy Miles.
Top returnees: Trey Parker, So., freestyle; Rob Korty, Sr., breaststroke.
Top newcomers: Billy Corey, 8th grader, backstroke.
Outlook: The Saints only have 10 boys on the squad, which Miles says ``is not enough to beef up the roster.''
Two of the Saints' top swimmers are only eighth-graders.
CAPE HENRY Coach: Nancy Jackson.
Top returnees: Jimmy Frye, So., freestyle, butterfly; Mark Laboccetta, Sr., I.M., backstroke; Mike Hertzler, Fr., freestyle, backstroke.
Top newcomers: Joe Allen, Fr., freestyle, backstroke; Jack Haislip, 8th-grader, freestyle; Matt Danciger, So., freestyle; Mark Daciger, 8th-grader, freestyle, breaststroke; Carl Jackson, 8th-grader, freestyle.
Outlook: In only its second year of competition, the Dolphins expect to challenge with Laboccetta and Fry, who swam with the TIDE and ODAC, respectively.
``I have a strong feeling we're going to do really well in the TCIS (tournament),'' Jackson said. ``We have some top finishers.''
NORFOLK COLLEGIATE Coach: Alex Boutov.
Top returnees: Keith Kline, Jr., butterfly; Graham Hoffman, Fr., freestyle; Josh Boytek, Jr., breaststroke, freestyle.
Outlook: Kline will anchor the Oaks, who will fall in the middle of the TCIS pack.
Norfolk Collegiate is balanced in strokes and in experience.
NORFOLK CHRISTIAN Coach: Debbie Pearsall.
Top returnees: none; first year team.
Top newcomers: Randy McMath, Sr., freestyle; George Watkins, So., freestyle, butterfly, I.M.; Matt Rawls, 7th-grader, backstroke, butterfly, freestyle; Lee McMath, Fr., freestyle, breaststroke.
Outlook: This inaugural season will be a tough one for the Ambassadors. They have just eight boys on the squad - some who have had summer swimming experience and some who are just out of swim lessons.
WALSINGHAM Coach: Kristen Kirkman.
Top returnee: Chris McRickard, Sr., freestyle.
Top newcomers: Billy Rogers, 8th-grader, freestyle, breaststroke.
Outlook: Kirkman's 10 will compete within themselves and look to finish fifth or sixth in the conference.
GIRLS
NORFOLK ACADEMY Coach: Jay Leach.
Top Returnees: Bess Frank, Sr., backstroke, freestyle; Cammie Pickett, Sr., freestyle; Dana Schaefer, Jr., freestyle, butterfly; Lizzie Rice, Fr., freestyle; Grace Prakalapakorn, Sr., diver.
Top newcomers: Elizabeth Babey, Fr., breaststroke; Trica Voyer, So., freestyle; Christina Burley, breaststroke, I.M.; Maya Corneille, So., diver.
Outlook: Frank and Pickett, who is close to her lifetime best in the 200, will lead the Bulldogs to another outstanding season.
``I'm confident in the ability of my kids,'' Leach said. ``We're going to have to swim fast to win.''
CATHOLIC Coach: John O'Hara.
Top returnees: Robin Tartutan, Sr., freestyle; Jennifer Dixon, So., breaststroke, I.M.; Jennifer O'Conner, Sr., freestyle, backstroke.
Top newcomer: Berlita Razon, Sr., breaststroke, butterfly, I.M.; Meaghan Graham, So., I.M., butterfly.
Outlook: The Crusaders have 19 girls to fill the roster and should be strong in the points race.
NANSEMOND-SUFFOLK Coach: Kathy Miles.
Top returnees: Betsy Bagnell, Jr., freestyle; Lea Wilson, Jr., breaststroke, I.M.
Top newcomers: Emily Perkins, 8th-grader, butterfly; Laura Taylor-Wegman, Sr., freestyle; Katie Koneful, 8th-grader, freestyle.
Outlook: Miles is pleased with the turnout and expects her girls squad to be competitive. Bagnell and Wilson will lead the pack and swim tough against the TCIS' best.
CAPE HENRY Coach: Nancy Jackson
Top returnees: Emily Medley, So., freestyle, butterfly; Stacie Crain, So., freestyle, I.M., backstroke; Christina Lawrence, So., freestyle.
Top newcomers: Carrie Rosenstock, Fr., backstroke, freestyle; Kristin Jongquist, Jr., freestyle, breaststroke.
Outlook: With only five girls, the Dolphins don't have enough to be competitive.
``We're still gaining numbers,'' Jackson said. ``The toughest thing is not being able to fill spots.''
NORFOLK COLLEGIATE Coach: Alex Boutov.
Top returnees: Melanie Stein, 8th-grader, backstroke, freestyle; Meredith Gauthier, Jr., butterfly, I.M.
Top newcomer: Ruth Ellen Newberry, Jr., freestyle.
Outlook: Last year's top swimmer, Stein, is back to anchor the Oaks. ``She's extremely competitive,'' Boutov said. ``She's the one the team can really rely on.''
NORFOLK CHRISTIAN Coach: Debbie Pearsall
Top returnees: none; first year team
Top newcomers: Heather Land, Jr., breaststroke, butterfly, freestyle; Christy Seltzer, Sr. freestyle; Katie Watkins, 8th-grader, backstroke, freestyle; Holly Seltzer, 8th-grader, freestyle, breaststroke, backstroke.
Outlook: Land, a former ODAC swimmer, will lead the Ambassadors in their first year of competition.
``She's feared,'' Pearsall said. ``She's set her goals for the VISTA and meeting All-American qualifications.''
WALSINGHAM Coach: Kristen Kirkman.
Top returnees: Tiffany Whittaker, Fr., freestyle, I.M.; Angie Athayde, Jr., backstroke; Sarah Caruth, Sr., butterfly; Courtney Narpalo, Fr., breaststroke, freestyle.
Outlook: This year's squad is one of the best Kirkman has coached. More surprisingly, they're young. The Trojans have only two seniors, and their top swimmers are underclassmen.
``We're going to be a threat this year,'' Kirkman said. ``But we're going to be worse of a threat next year.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo
Junior Heather Land will lead Norfolk Christian in its first
season.
by CNB