{gallery}08_25_09/swimming{/gallery} Junior swimmer Brittany Christensen swims a 20-minute distance test last week as the Powell Lady Panthers begin preparing for the season's competition. Christensen is one of 10 returning swimmers who swam at the state meet last year. The team opens at home against Greybull Friday and travels to Buffalo on Saturday. Tribune photo by Don AmendTen state qualifiers greeted new coach Luke Robertson when the Powell Lady Panther swimmers began practice last week.

Twenty-eight swimmers, including seven freshmen, are working out this year in preparation for this week's competition against Greybull and Buffalo.

“We have a good balance, lots of returning swimmers and lots of freshmen,” Robertson said.

The returning state qualifiers include seniors Samantha Baker, last year's top individual placer at state with fourth in the backstroke, Jessica Curtis, Kourtnie Rodgers and diver Stepfanie Thompson. Junior qualifiers Brittany Christensen, Maddy Jones and Monique Zorgati also return, along with sophomores Anya Tracy, Alice Pinter and Belen Quillen.

Also returning is junior Claire Wetzel, who qualified as a freshmen but didn't swim last year, and near-qualifiers Sierra Baker, a sophomore, and senior Jenna Hotovec.

Other swimmers bringing competition experience to the team are juniors Jessica Wurzel, Alyssa Smith, Olivia Paxton and diver Emily Newlin. Newcomers to the team include junior Molly McCray, who will dive for the Lady Panthers; senior Caitlyn Friday; exchange students Alima Mwemerabugabo and Eva Latrach; and freshmen Chelsea Bates, Paige Driver, Aimee Friday, Lori Hetzel, Emily LaPlante, Sarah Wurzel and Courtenay Zorgati.

A big plus for the team is the return of the 200 and 400 relay teams, both of which finished fourth last year at state.

The 200 team of Samantha Baker, Jones, Monique Zorgati and Pinter was seeded ninth going into the meet, but cut three seconds from its time in the preliminaries, and another second in the finals, to make the jump to fourth place. The 400 team of Curtis, Pinter, Monique Zorgati and Samantha Baker cut five seconds in the preliminaries and another five in the finals to move from its sixth-place seed to fourth.

Roberston said the team has high expectations, and will be working hard to improve their individual times.

“We'll focus on individual success,” Robertson said. “We'll work on setting good goals for each swimmer and focus on meeting them.”

Robertson, who was assistant coach of the Lady Panthers last year, replaces Karen Roles. He will be assisted by Stephanie Warren, who works primarily with divers, and Tanya Fawcett-Kay.

Perennial champion Lander will again be the biggest challenge for the Lady Panthers, along with Jackson, and the swimmers will be aiming to pass Cody, which edged the Lady Panthers for sixth in the state finals.

Competition opens with Greybull in the Powell High School pool Friday at 5 p.m. Saturday, the team travels to Buffalo, where they will take on the Bison at 4 p.m.