ShawneeDispatch.com

Twelve seniors return to coach Scott Virden’s boys swim team at Shawnee Mission Northwest this season, so the Cougars enter the 2009-2010 campaign with quite a bit of experience.

They also come back with quite a number of new, fresh faces — including four foreign exchange students. Mixing the old with the new has been the biggest challenge of the first two weeks of practices for the Cougars.

“We’re finally starting to get somewhere,” Virden said after Monday evening’s practice let out. “We started practice on the 16th and it’s been kind of interesting because we’ve had a couple of good, incoming freshmen — including one who is already the second fastest on the team. On the other hand, we also have four foreign exchange students — two from Denmark, one from Germany and one from Italy — who have never done anything like this. They’ve had to get accustomed to working hard.”

Virden also has a freshman contingent of nine athletes, four who have never swam competitively. Luckily, the Cougars have a dozen strong seniors to lead the new talent through the opening weeks.

Clay Coffman and Alex Severance look to lead this season’s Northwest squad with Severance serving as one of the team’s top flyers and freestylers. Lee Jakes also returns as one of the team’s top distance freestylers as does diver Cameron Keeling who placed 14th at the state championships last year.

The junior class also is well represented with Jens Thomsen leading the breaststroke. Zach Congrove and Tanner Jarman figure to be two of the team’s best in the individual medley while Joey Schmitz should contribute there and in the 500 freestyle. Dylan Cruse, Joe Hornstra and Eric Zellner round out a promising junior class.

Sophomore Jonathan Volker will train with Zellner as both figure to be threats in the 50 freestyle, the 200 individual medley and the 500 freestyle.

And then there’s freshman Benjamin Keller who Virden believes could be one of the fastest male swimmers ever at Northwest by the time his career is over. In the first two weeks of practice, Zeller recorded marks that would qualify him for state in three different events

One unfortunate loss for the Cougars was that of senior Andrew Zimmer who tore his ACL before the season even started. Zimmer, one of the Cougars’ top point-getters at last year’s meets, will miss the entire season.

For Virden, there’s still much to be found out in this team. With so many new faces, it may take a while before the squad starts to form a group identity.

“I have four Conner’s, three Cameron’s, and two Jens on this team,” Virden stated. “I’ve never had that before. I want the guys to mold together a little bit better because we have so many new faces.

“I think we’re going to be a lot stronger in the IM’s this year, but those juniors will have to step up big time. They’ve been working hard and we’ve been doing more sprints and time sets with them.”

While Virden isn’t sure yet what he has to work with, there is one thing about which the Cougar skipper is certain — everyone in the Sunflower League will be chasing Shawnee Mission East.

“They’re stacked to the gills,” Virden said of the Lancers. “They have a really good chance at winning state and the top swimmer at Blue Valley Northwest just transferred in there.”

The Cougars will begin regular-season competition Friday, Dec. 4, when they play host to Washburn Rural in a dual meet.

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