Seeding the 102 teams of the NVSL into 17 divisions is a daunting task. Once placed, teams are then faced with their own mountains to climb.
Here are five of the teams making significant divisional jumps in 2015.
Sully Station II — Division 5 to 9: Small, but mighty
Sully Station II is an unusually small team for its talent, and Division 9 could be a better fit for the Piranhas after a 0-5 campaign in 2014 .
Sully Station II had no issues filling lanes when it surged from Division 12 to 3 over just four years. Many Piranhas from the 2008-12 climb still swim for the team, but are now in entirely different situations.
“We’ll do what we do as best as we can,” Coach Scott Brown said. “Hopefully we’ll grab a couple of wins and slow our slide.”
In 2014, the Piranhas competed against teams more than double their size. They may have to do the same this year.
“We had less than 70 kids on the team last season,” Brown said. “We were very thin in some age groups.”
Sixty swimmers are needed to fill every lane in Saturday morning “A” meets. The week-to-week challenges of doing so will be at the forefront for Brown’s 17th season with the team.
“I don’t even know what we’re seeded,” Brown said. “As long as we’re competing, improving and being silly, then everybody’s fine with it.”
Virginia Run — Division 6 to 4: R-E-L A-Y-S
Virginia Run’s divisional placement is its highest since 2008, but new Coach Matt Lear comes into a familiar situation in his first year with the Riptide.
Lear last coached for Pinecrest from 2009-12. In his final season with the Piranhas, the team jumped from Division 6 to 4, and Lear led the team to a 2–3 record.
“I’m hoping that the team can compete well,” Lear said. “The team is coming off of an undefeated season and is used to winning two or three meets every year.” The Riptide has won a meet in six of the last seven seasons, including a 1-4 record in Division 4 in 2008.
“It would be nice to go out there and win our first meet so that the nerves are calmed for the rest of the season,” said Lear, whose new team will face his old team in the first meet of the season at Pinecrest.
If the Riptide are to compete in the division, they will have to rely on their strength in relays. Virginia Run finished 16th at the 2014 All-Star Relays, second among teams in this season’s Division 4. Both mixed age relays reached the all-star meet, showing a strength that the Riptide hope to carry into this year’s season: cross-age depth.
“Having at least one really fast kid in each age group shows why the team is so good and able to move up and stay competitive.” Lear said.
Sleepy Hollow B&R — Division 8 to 6: More, more and more intense
One of five teams to average more than 240 points through dual meets in 2014, Sleepy Hollow Bath and Racquet enters a competitive Division 6.
“I don’t see a team that can go undefeated in this division,” Coach Doug Burns said. The division features three teams that posted records of 3–2 in Division 6 last year: Cottontail, Hollin Meadows and Mosby Woods.
If the Seals are to bump off a team in their new, more competitive division, they will rely even more on their top age groups.
The Seals’ 11-12 girls relay finished 11th and 13th in their events at all-star relays last season and will meet girls from at least four other teams that swam in the meet in 2014.
But most dominant for Sleepy Hollow Bath and Racquet in recent years has been the 15-18 boys, who will face their own set of challenges in Division 6.
“Strangely, our senior boys, who are strong at the top, won’t do as well as normal,” Burns said.
That should not take away from the leadership the Seals have from their senior age group, however.
“They take care of all the cheering and stuff that make the NVSL worth doing,” Burns said. “It makes it a lot more fun to have a big group of seniors.”
Shouse Village — Division 8 to 11: Not much change, but much to watch
Shouse Village (0-5 in 2014) scored the third fewest points over its dual meet season last year but have a lot of positive outlooks coming into the 2015 season.
The team welcomes J.J. Degner-Lopez as the Sharks’ new head coach. Degner-Lopez, daughter of Nadar Por Vida founder Arthur Lopez, could be a good fit to develop the younger swimmers, and her experience with the non-profit should help her build good swimmers in and out of the water.
“When you do this it’s all about sportsmanship, how you treat your competitors and having fun,” Degner-Lopez said. “Some people take it too seriously.”
Another positive for the Sharks is the lack of change coming into the season among the team. Shouse Village graduated three swimmers in 2014 and few of the team’s stronger swimmers aged up.
All of Shouse Village’s 13-14 swimmers remain in the age group, and Degner-Lopez hopes the consistency from last year and in the pool’s community will translate to a successful season.
“I can already tell how good they are together,” she said. “Their big thing is just having fun and learning something along the way.”
Lakeview — Division 13 to 10: Could be just the beginning
Lakeview, like many teams making big divisional jumps in 2015, will center on the little things this season.
Even so, the Marlins could surprise Division 10 with their depth and drive.
“It’s a tough schedule, there’s no doubt about that,” Coach James Mackenie said, “and it’s good to have that challenge.”
Lakeview dominated its division to total the second most dual-meet points in the NVSL. With the increased challenge Saturday mornings, MacKenzie is excited to take this ride with the swimmers.
“The summer is where you develop your passion,” he said. “It’s about the growth individually.”
As the Lakeview team grows with its passion, MacKenzie is excited for the team’s success — past the 2015 season.
“I think Lakeview is moving forward in a manner in which they are very driven,” he said. “They’re seeing all the success the older kids have and they buy into that, and it makes them want to push themselves further.”