Cape swim squad good to go into 15th season

The Cape swim program is composed of two teams of boys and girls, run by two coaches, Bill Geppert and Pete Olson. Liz Lingo, Garrick Acklin and John Zacharias are volunteer assistants for a program that has 27 girls and 23 boys settling in after 70 student swimmers tried out.

Geppert has knocked down 13 straight winning seasons after taking over a coed program that was 0-24.

“The program is closing in on 200 wins,” Geppert said. “The kids work hard and enjoy it. The girls always work harder; even every day in practice they are just so competitive.”

The team’s home pool is the Sussex Family YMCA in Rehoboth, and one lap lane is always open during practice time as an accommodation to the Y membership. There is a diving competition contested at the end of the season as part of the Henlopen Conference and state meets, but the Y pool has no diving board so Cape develops no divers.

Delaware swimming is dominated by select upstate schools. Cape does well within the Henlopen Conference and over the last 10 years under Geppert, the team has put together a few undefeated seasons.

Competitors are limited to four events including relays. The top four places score and teams are limited to three scoring athletes per event.

The Lewes Yacht Club and YMCA summer swim teams, along with local beach patrols, have provided a steady flow of experienced and strong swimmers. The boys’ team includes Thomas Ashcraft, Patrick Buchwald, Charles Burton, James DiGuglielmo, Luke DiGuglielmo, Nicholas DiGuglielmo, Craig Fanto, Andrew Gorecki, Nathan Griffith, Sean Grogan, Andrew Hynes, Kyle Joseph, Logan Mathews, Mathew Mazzocchi, John Merz, Dan Myers, Christian Prestipino, Conrad Rutkowski, Tyler Saltiel, Jacopo Scaramuzzi, Jared Schraeder, Gabriel Sferelli and Joel Tylecki.

Members of the girls’ team include Kalee Autry, Colleen Bailey, Christine Bristowe, Helen Catts, Ursula Catts, Kristen Dabrowski, Stephanie Delp, Erin Dunn, Kayleigh Eckrote, Mary Beth Gooding, Danielle Griffith, Caitlyn Hardy, Makayla Hartman, Shelby Hunt, Ava Kashner, Holly King, Katie Kolobielski, Alexandra Kwan, Danielle Legates, Margaret McClure, Jordan Olsen, Alaina Peterson, Erin Ricker, Margaret Robertson, Romy Stancofski, Taylor Trimmer and Katelyn Wartman.

Last season the boys had a successful 9-2 season, losing only to Seaford and St. Mark’s. Most of Cape’s big point producers are back for the 2010-11 campaign.

The girls’ team posted a 7-3-1 record last season, losing to Milford, St. Mark’s and Stephen Decatur while tying Sussex Tech.

There are 11 events contested in a swim meet, and those include the 200 and 400 freestyle relays and 200 medley relay. Individual events include the 200 freestyle, 200 medley, 50 freestyle, 100 butterfly, 100 freestyle, 500 freestyle, 100 backstroke and 100 breaststroke.
Cape will open the season at home Tuesday, Dec. 7, versus Indian River, then swims against Milford at the Milford Boys & Girls Club Thursday, Dec. 9, before returning home Thursday, Dec. 16, versus Sussex Central.

“The teams to beat are Seaford on the boys’ side and Milford and Sussex Tech on the girls’ side,” Geppert said. “We will be right in there competing for the conference championship.”