Warrior Swimmers Set For State
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
SYRACUSE - In swimming, it isn't where we start that matters, only where you finish. That holds true for seeds as well as season records.
The Wawasee boys' swim team is a perfect example of that. Not much was expected of this Warrior squad. The Warriors were looking to rebuild after losing nine seniors from a team that went only 8-6 last year.
But behind a trio of talented seniors and underclassmen that have stepped up at the right time, Wawasee went through one its best seasons in school history and along the way, racked up an unblemished 12-0 dual season and Northern Lakes Conference and Wawasee Sectional championships.
"There were a lot of question marks at the beginning of the year," Wawasee coach Roger Karns said. "We had some young guys from last year, and we thought we could be a good team. "
That may be an understatement for this team.
The Warriors took on all comers this season and came away with the undefeated record and peaked at No. 7 in the Associated Press poll.
The secret formula included a pair of Ryans (Moore and Harper), a talented foreign exchange student from Brazil (Marcelo Azenha) and a lot of confidence.
"This is a very talented and special group," Karns said. "They just know they are going to swim well, and that is contagious, it rubs off on people. It has been that kind of thing all season. They just have that confidence."
Even the swimmers themselves didn't realize how good of a team they had.
"At the beginning of the year, we were kind of worried about how we were going to look," Ryan Moore said. "But as the year progressed, we just kept stepping it up. That is what I like about this team - the drive that everybody has. It is the drive that made the difference. It is more so than last year because we seem to be missing the drive in the team as a whole. We have that unity this year."
The year started quietly without much fanfare but wins over Northridge and Penn, plus the aforementioned NLC and sectional titles, really got things going for the Warriors.
"We have had an outstanding season," Ryan Harper said. "But we didn't expect to go 12-0. We had a goal to go 10-2 or 11-1. We thought maybe Penn and Northridge had a shot at beating us. I think we surprised those teams. After we won NLCs, we were pretty sure we could take sectional."
"You kind of had the feeling early that this could be something special," Karns said.
That senior trio, along with freshman Adam Brown, will be taking a trip down to the state meet today and Saturday to see if they still have some magic saved from the regular season and sectional.
"We always set the goal of finishing in the top 20 in the state," Karns said. "Making predictions is pretty tough stuff. I do believe we will swim well down there. The other stuff just follows that."
"We would like to finish in the top eight in our relays," Harper said. "We would like to get everybody in the top 16. We just want to go down there and get some outstanding times. Maybe if we can, break a (school) record or two."
Coming into the campaign, Karns knew Moore and Harper would swim fast, but it was really difficult to know what to expect from Azenha. Karns admits that in his coaching career at Wawasee that he has had 16 or so exchange students and most haven't made an impact on the program.
But Azenha was different. Karns knew he was a good athlete because of his work on the Warrior soccer team in the fall, but it was in the pool that Azenha really excelled.
"I didn't know what they expected, but I expect to swim fast," Azenha said. "I expected a good school to swim. We have had a good season. They expected a lot from me, but I am not the only guy here. Some schools say that they win because one guy is there. That is not true here."
Azenha has been swimming in Brazil for the past 10 years and basically swims all year around. He also has had some experience swimming in a state championship atmosphere.
"We have four swim seasons," he said. "I swam in 12 state meets in Brazil. It is exciting, but it is different."
For Azenha, swimming is basically the same no matter where the pool is located, whether it be in Brazil or Syracuse or Indianapolis.
"It is water, and it takes practice, practice, practice," he said.
The rocks that seem to be the ones that have held things together for the Warriors this year have been Harper and Moore.
"Harper and Moore have been leaders all year," Brown said. "They have led us in the all the meets, the close ones and the ones where we beat everybody pretty good. It has been a fun year." [[In-content Ad]]
SYRACUSE - In swimming, it isn't where we start that matters, only where you finish. That holds true for seeds as well as season records.
The Wawasee boys' swim team is a perfect example of that. Not much was expected of this Warrior squad. The Warriors were looking to rebuild after losing nine seniors from a team that went only 8-6 last year.
But behind a trio of talented seniors and underclassmen that have stepped up at the right time, Wawasee went through one its best seasons in school history and along the way, racked up an unblemished 12-0 dual season and Northern Lakes Conference and Wawasee Sectional championships.
"There were a lot of question marks at the beginning of the year," Wawasee coach Roger Karns said. "We had some young guys from last year, and we thought we could be a good team. "
That may be an understatement for this team.
The Warriors took on all comers this season and came away with the undefeated record and peaked at No. 7 in the Associated Press poll.
The secret formula included a pair of Ryans (Moore and Harper), a talented foreign exchange student from Brazil (Marcelo Azenha) and a lot of confidence.
"This is a very talented and special group," Karns said. "They just know they are going to swim well, and that is contagious, it rubs off on people. It has been that kind of thing all season. They just have that confidence."
Even the swimmers themselves didn't realize how good of a team they had.
"At the beginning of the year, we were kind of worried about how we were going to look," Ryan Moore said. "But as the year progressed, we just kept stepping it up. That is what I like about this team - the drive that everybody has. It is the drive that made the difference. It is more so than last year because we seem to be missing the drive in the team as a whole. We have that unity this year."
The year started quietly without much fanfare but wins over Northridge and Penn, plus the aforementioned NLC and sectional titles, really got things going for the Warriors.
"We have had an outstanding season," Ryan Harper said. "But we didn't expect to go 12-0. We had a goal to go 10-2 or 11-1. We thought maybe Penn and Northridge had a shot at beating us. I think we surprised those teams. After we won NLCs, we were pretty sure we could take sectional."
"You kind of had the feeling early that this could be something special," Karns said.
That senior trio, along with freshman Adam Brown, will be taking a trip down to the state meet today and Saturday to see if they still have some magic saved from the regular season and sectional.
"We always set the goal of finishing in the top 20 in the state," Karns said. "Making predictions is pretty tough stuff. I do believe we will swim well down there. The other stuff just follows that."
"We would like to finish in the top eight in our relays," Harper said. "We would like to get everybody in the top 16. We just want to go down there and get some outstanding times. Maybe if we can, break a (school) record or two."
Coming into the campaign, Karns knew Moore and Harper would swim fast, but it was really difficult to know what to expect from Azenha. Karns admits that in his coaching career at Wawasee that he has had 16 or so exchange students and most haven't made an impact on the program.
But Azenha was different. Karns knew he was a good athlete because of his work on the Warrior soccer team in the fall, but it was in the pool that Azenha really excelled.
"I didn't know what they expected, but I expect to swim fast," Azenha said. "I expected a good school to swim. We have had a good season. They expected a lot from me, but I am not the only guy here. Some schools say that they win because one guy is there. That is not true here."
Azenha has been swimming in Brazil for the past 10 years and basically swims all year around. He also has had some experience swimming in a state championship atmosphere.
"We have four swim seasons," he said. "I swam in 12 state meets in Brazil. It is exciting, but it is different."
For Azenha, swimming is basically the same no matter where the pool is located, whether it be in Brazil or Syracuse or Indianapolis.
"It is water, and it takes practice, practice, practice," he said.
The rocks that seem to be the ones that have held things together for the Warriors this year have been Harper and Moore.
"Harper and Moore have been leaders all year," Brown said. "They have led us in the all the meets, the close ones and the ones where we beat everybody pretty good. It has been a fun year." [[In-content Ad]]