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Fall Preview: DV boys swim building on last year
Comments 0 | Recommend 0Coming off the best performance in school history, the Desert Vista boys swim and dive team is turning its collective eye to the 2008 season looking for more of the same.
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Schedule |
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Sept. 4: @ Mesa |
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Sept. 11: Gilbert (Pecos Pool) |
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Sept. 16: Gilbert Highland (Pecos Pool) |
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Sept. 20: @ Nike Invitational (Tucson) |
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Sept. 25: Mesa Mountain View (Pecos Pool) |
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Sept. 27: @ Brophy Invitational (Brophy Sports Campus) |
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Oct. 2: @ Basha (Hamilton High School) |
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Oct. 7: Tempe City Meet (McClintock High School) |
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Oct. 15: @ Corona del Sol (West Chandler Aquatic) |
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Oct. 22: Mountain Pointe (Pecos Pool) |
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Oct. 31-Nov. 1: Central Region Championships (TBA) |
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Nov. 7-8: 5A-I State Championships (ASU Mona Plummer) |
That's because the Thunder don't lose a single point scorer from last year's Class 5A-I state meet, where DV was second to perennial champ Brophy College Prep.
"We didn't lose one point," said DV coach Shawn O'Connell. "Nobody who scored a point, was a part of a relay - nothing. We didn't lose anybody.
"So, yeah," he added with a smile, "it's promising."
Returning are mainstays like Ryan Dignan (fifth at state in the 200-yard freestyle; eighth, 500 freestyle; relays), Nicolas Poehler (fifth, 100 backstroke; relays), Chris Bergthold (sixth, 100 backstroke; relays), Bryant Wong (relays) and Vince Marcucci (relays).
But O'Connell also has the luxury of returning four divers who scored a total of 51 points at last year's state meet: junior Sean Perks (second), sophomore Connor Dignan (third), senior Matt Hopper (fifth) and junior Chris Witton (12th).
"Fifty-plus points in diving helped us out," he said. "Without the diving, we would've ended up third."
The team finished with 239 points at the meet ahead of third-place Desert Mountain, which had 213.
"I worked with Matt the whole offseason, just because he dives club with us, so he's only going to be at least twice as good as he was last year," said DV dive coach Patrick Sulivan. "It's going to be really exciting to see him dive at state this year.
"I've worked with all four of them here for the past three months," Sulivan added, "so we've had a preseason before this."
O'Connell said the 2007 season - in which the team also went a perfect 7-0 for the first time in school history on top of its best-ever finish at state - was a major step forward for the program.
"They finished second at the state meet and they know that and they're really excited about that," he said. "They know that everybody who scored is coming back again, so the expectations are there. And they held themselves accountable since last year. A lot of kids swam club or were on the (school's club) water polo team at ASU."
Because of that, the transition to preseason practice was a smooth one.
"They're ready to train," O'Connell said. "They are just as fast as they were at the end of the season last year, if not faster."
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