FARMINGTON, Minn. -- Farmington junior
Taylor Gergen has two trips to state in the 100 breaststroke in her career. Second-year coach
Tony Parast hopes she can return in that event and add the 100 fly, "So, I'm hoping two individual races for her and maybe we can get a relay as well…At the end of the day, it's awesome to get to state but it would be so much more fun to have more of your teammates there to support you on the deck instead of just hanging out with your coach."
Gergen enjoyed a certain comfort level in her return to the Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center at the University of Minnesota last November, "My first year I was a freshman. So, obviously, going into it I didn't know what to expect. Last year, now I knew what to expect and kind of how it was going to look and how to approach it better."
She is a captain and learned from those that came before her, "From being on the team now for a couple of years, each senior had a different work ethic. You take a little bit from each person, whether it's how they practice, their mindset, you just learn a little bit from each person in all different areas in academics and athletics."
She finished 14th overall with a time of 1:06.87 at state and landed All Conference in the South Suburban Conference.
Parast notes, "Taylor's one of the hardest workers. I met Taylor through club swimming. I coach club and she swims with the Tigersharks here. I've watched Taylor for a few years now and it's actually been a joy to coach her."
She also swims the 200 IM, and relays, "I'm hoping to PR [personal record] in some of the races and just be pretty consistent in my races, to work really hard and see some good results."
"I hope the team really tries hard and keeps a positive attitude throughout the season and just keeps on having fun with it. Obviously, as the season goes on it gets really busy with schoolwork and everything. Everybody having fun still and everybody trying their best," Gergen says.
Senior captain Hannah Fernandes says last year was a good one, "It was a little challenging with a new coach and with some newer girls. But overall, I think it turned out well and I was excited for future seasons."
She swims the 100 fly, 100 backstroke, and relays. Like many of her teammates she spends time swimming in the offseason, "A lot of us do club, usually throughout the year. So, that does a good job of keeping us in shape. It's definitely not as close as I would say the high school season is, and the high school team is."
Fernandes hopes to make finals at sections, "I just love seeing myself do well, as well as my whole team. When you win a meet, seeing the girls and how happy they are after that, makes me want to continue the sport and continue swimming."
Parast indicates the team peaked at the end of the season, "A lot of the kids were making strides toward their best times, either ever or close to their best times they've ever swam in their life."
This season for diving he says, "A young group led by our sophomore Finn Samuell, freshman Claire Gergen, and eighth grader Brooke Kunz. What we lack in numbers we absolutely make up for in potential and internal drive. The girls are working well with coach John Tegg on becoming more confident on the board, and learning to be as he says more of a daredevil."
The outlook is good with "hopes of having some really great section [diving] performances."
After losing five seniors off the 2023 team, the squad has six seniors now. Overall numbers are up, "We have a few more girls this year than we did last year. Last year we had around 27 or 28. This year we have over 30 girls, I want to say 32 or 33. We definitely have increased the numbers. It's due mostly to the middle schoolers joining, which is fantastic, because that's how you build the depth."
Mikayla Gabrielson, a returning SSC honorable mention and captain, is excited for the new swimmers, "We lost quite a few really strong seniors [from 2023] but we gain a lot more underclassmen. I think it's going to be really cool to see how they grow and how we can work as a team with newer people and some of our returning seniors and upperclassmen."
She swims sprints and relays, "I think goals really are to just drop time in my 100 free and 50 free with it being my senior season, I just want to knock off as much time as I can."
Gabrielson adds, "I think we do a real good job of welcoming in new girls and really being kind and having a good environment for other teams as well."
Early season practices include several hours in the pool and time in dryland training. The beginning of the season is a flurry of several two-meet weeks back-to-back, "We're going to be hitting the ground running with lots of meets early. So, I'm kind of excited about that to get a lot of swimming in. That will allow us as the season progresses to really fine tune what we need to focus on as we get to the end of the season."
The Tigers go to Rochester Century on Tuesday, August 27 for a 6 pm meet. The home opener is Thursday, August 29 against Burnsville at 6 pm at Levi P. Dodge Middle School. FHS hosts Lakeville South on Thursday, September 5 at 6 pm and goes to Lakeville Blanchard Aquatic Center on Saturday, September 7 for a 1 pm invitational.
Sections begin November 6. The state meet is November 14-16.
