The Press-Dispatch
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The Press-Dispatch Winter Sports Preview D-9 Wednesday, November 27, 2013 PCHS girlS' SWIMMING The 2013-14 Pike Central High School girls' swimming team, front row, left to right: Sylvia Henson, Alivia Cummings, Chloe Keepes and Kaylee Gray. Second row: Manager Destinee McKinney, Maya Frederick, Ashley Davis, Kylee Claridge, Lauren Luff, Helen Dudenhoeffer, Ally Sutherland, Kaitlyn Foster and Head Coach Jason McKinney. Back row: Diving Coach Missy Sparks, Assistant Coach Mike Bohnert, Kendall Dudenhoeffer and Manager Kane Osgatharp. Ed Cahill photo. Lady Chargers hoping hard work pays off By Ed Cahill Press-Dispatch Sports Editor sports@pressdispatch.net Pike Central High School girls' swimming team enters the 2013-14 season with the same number of swimmers – 11 – as it began with last year. However, that is where the similarities between last year's team and this year's team end. For one, the Lady Chargers, who had no seniors on the roster a year ago, begin this season with three: Kylee Claridge, Kendall Dudenhoeffer and Lauren Luff. "They are all strong swimmers, so they're going to lead the team for us this year," said head coach Jason McKinney. "I couldn't pick three better people to lead. They're great kids." Juniors Alivia Cummings, Ashley Davis and Chloe Keepes, sophomores Helen Dudenhoeffer, Kaylee Gray and Ally Sutherland, and freshmen Kaitlyn Foster, Maya Frederick and Sylvia Henson round out the 201314 squad, which has been working hard during the preseason. "I've pushed them harder this year than I've ever pushed them starting out," said McKinney, who is starting his 14th season as the Lady Chargers' head coach. "We start out usually swimming a couple of thousand yards a night for the first week. This year, this first week, we doubled that. "These girls have accepted that," McKinney added. "I don't really hear any complaining or any nagging about it. They come in, they do it. That know that I'm pushing them to the point that it's going to make them better, so they accept it and we go on." Last year's team, McKinney noted, learned the value of hard work by, well, working hard. "I think they knew, at the end of last year, where the hard work and the yardage we put in the second part of the year got them," McKinney said. "And I know this year, they want that feeling again. "They saw my guys do it in the years past and they've seen where it got them and they're accepting that and they're wanting to do the same thing," McKinney added. "So we're going to make some noise this year with the girls' team." Kendell Dudenhoeffer, who finished second in the 100-yard butterfly at the Pocket Athletic Conference meet last season, will also swim the 200-yard individual medley. "She's pretty well captain of the team," McKinney " year." "I don't know where we're going to have her this year, if we're going to put her in more short distance stuff or what," McKinney added. "But she's going to be right there where we need her to be." Senior Kylee Claridge, who placed fifth in the 100-yard breaststroke in the PAC meet last season, will also swim in some freestyle events. "She does a really good job for us at breaststroke – our best breaststroker this year," McKinney said. McKinney said that all three seniors have been working hard to get back into swimming shape in preparing for their final season. "The talent's there," McKinney said. "The drive's They (seniors) are all strong swimmers, so they're going to lead the team for us this year. I couldn't pick three better people to lead. They're great kids." -Head Coach Jason McKinney said. "She's a great swimmer. She's a strong swimmer. And she's a great leader. "I think last year she realized that she could be better than what she was," McKinney added. "She surprised herself at PAC and she's back in the water this year and she's working harder than she ever has. I think it'll be fun to watch her do what she can." McKinney said that he expected senior Lauren Luff to play a valuable role as a long or middle distance swimmer this season. "Lauren swam a lot of distance for us last year, which probably wasn't her favorite thing to do, but she filled the spot for us, which we needed," McKinney said. "She did a good job for us last there. It's just a matter of putting the yards in to do it." Junior Alivia Cummings swam a lot of freestyle events last season, as well as the breaststroke. "She's someone that we can put her in about anything we want to," McKinney said. "She can swim every stroke. She's another girl that comes in, never misses, never complains, just comes in and gets in the water and does what she has to do, and does a good job at it." Fellow junior Chloe Keepes wasted no time getting into the pool after volleyball season ended, and is expected to help the team in the breaststroke, backstroke and butterfly events. "She didn't want that week's rest; she wanted to TEAMWORK... racter Building Cha etition rough Comp th senior SPOTLIGHT Kylee Claridge Kendall Dudenhoeffer Lauren Luff come in and get after it and not get behind," McKinney said. "That's just the type of girl she is. She'll do fine in the strokes we put her in." Junior Ashley Davis is returning for her second year. "She came in and did a decent job," McKinney said. "Wasn't really for sure about how things were going to go with her. She didn't know if she could actually do the work and keep up with everything, but she comes in every day and does everything. We'll see a big difference in her this year, and be able to put her in some more spots where we can get more points out of her." Sophomore butterflier Helen Dudenhoeffer is Kendall's younger sister and, according to McKinney, is already rivaling her sibling's work ethic. "She works just as hard as her sister does," McKinney said. "As far as the knowledge of all the strokes, we can put her into anything we want. She can fulfill whatever we need her to." Sophomore Ally Sutherland will see a lot of action in the shorter distance freestyle events, both as an individual and as a member of a relay team. "She's a great sprinter for us," McKinney said. "She does really well in the freestyle events. She'll be in the 50 and the 100 and she'll be in all of our fastest relays." Freshman Maya Frederick is expected a to make splash this season for the Lady Chargers after shattering the middle school records in the 50-yard backstroke, 100-yard individual medley, 200-yard freestyle and 100-yard freestyle events. "By far, she's our strongest swimmer, our sprinter and our backstroker, so she's going to be something to watch this year," McKinney said. "She's a very fast freestyler. She is very fast as a backstroker and I expect a lot of big things out of her in backstroke." Frederick, who swims during the summer for a travel team, will also be on Pike Central's fastest relays, McKinney added. "With her adding onto this team this year, with Kendall and Lauren and Kylee and some of my other kids, that is that missing link that we needed to field a really, really good relay team," McKinney said. "With Maya, that's what we're going to get. She's going to have big shoes to fill, but she knows how to do it, and we're going to get a lot out of her." Freshman Sylvia Henson will compete as both a swimmer and as a diver. "She's an outstanding diver," McKinney said. "Last year, we didn't have any girl divers and we lost points because of that. Sylvia knows every dive. She can go to PAC right now and have every dive that she needs. She's going to be fun to watch on the board." Henson is working with volunteer diving coach Missy Wilkerson Sparks, a Pike Central grad who still holds several school records. "She'll be able to teach (Henson) a lot more things than I could," McKinney said. "Sylvia will be a big plus on our team, having a diver on the board that will get us good points." Freshman Kaitlyn Foster will split time this season between swimming and basketball. "She's going to be a girl who's going to surprise a lot of people because she can swim really well," McKinney said. "It takes a lot to be able to split basketball and swimming. It just takes somebody who really wants to do it and put a lot of time in, but she's the type of girl who can do that." 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