After falling short of a fifth consecutive podium finish last season the Powell Panther girls’ swim and dive team is aiming to be back as one of the top four teams in the state this year, returning a number of top swimmers who are working to improve on their seventh place finish last year.

Leading the way will be seniors Patricia Christensen and Kaitlin Diver, who both earned top three finishes in the 200 free and 500 free respectively.

Christensen also had a fifth place finish in the 100 back while Diver was the top finisher in the ‘B’ final for the 200 IM last year.

Another senior who brings back important experience for the Panthers is Addy Powell, who made the ‘B’ finals in both the 100 back and 50 free a year ago.

Coach Bob Smartt also anticipates strong contributions from additional seniors Brooke Brown and Kumora Snell in the butterfly and backstroke respectively.

“Our senior class this year is very strong,” Smartt said.

While the Panthers boast five seniors returning with good experience, Smartt said they have added six new freshmen this season, as he anticipates both Lynea Christensen and Daisy Carpenter to be state qualifiers and contributors to the relays.

A new face for the Panthers will be Lilly Pittman, who Smartt said made the move to Powell from Texas — he anticipates she will contribute in the breaststroke.

From the sophomores, Smartt is anticipating a jump from Charlotte Beeton, Tempie Day, Claire Hultgren and Baylee Kraft.

While the Panthers bring back a number of individuals who have experience in the pool, he is anticipating one more year in the water will help the team with their relays, an area where the Panthers struggled a year ago.

“In high school swimming relays count double versus individual events,” Smartt said. “Last year we were fifth at conference and seventh at state primarily due to weakness in our three relay events. This year we expect to have fast relays and much more depth in the number of athletes competing to be on those relays.”

Lynea Christensen will also be stepping onto the diving board this year, as she’ll compete in both aspects for the Panthers, but Smartt said the program is still looking for more athletes to join.

“We are in need of having new divers join our program,” Smartt said. “We are searching for athletes ready to give diving a try, no experience  is necessary. We have a great diving coach in Heather Christensen.”

While the Panthers bring back a number of experienced athletes, Smartt said he is hopeful they can make enough improvements to get back on the podium, as he expects tough competition from nearby teams.

“On day zero, the three top teams in 3A state girls’ swimming are Lander, Cody and Buffalo. With a lot of hard work, hopefully we can improve significantly from our seventh place finish at state last year,” Smartt said.

The season kicks off in Lander at 10 a.m. Saturday with the Panthers keeping their eyes on the state meet in Laramie on Nov. 7-8.