NDN: Plenty of Fresh Faces at Estero
ESTERO — With two of the best swimmers in school history gone to the next level, Estero High School swim coach Jennifer Seluk has a team full of fresh faces for the 2011 season.
But rather than fret over the loss of girls star Molly DuBrasky, who is now swimming for the University of Florida, and boys star Kyle Snew to graduation, Seluk is focusing on doing what she does best — coach.
“I have a lot of new, young, fresh blood and it’s actually nice for me as a coach,” Seluk said. “I get to do a lot more coaching with some of the younger kids than I have in the past and they’re extremely motivated and positive.”
Because of the recent success of her program, Seluk said a lot of students new to the sport are turning out for the team this year. Numbers on both the boys and girls teams have nearly doubled from last season. The girls team went from 11 members last year to 23 this season, while the boys increased from 13 to 24.
“I think it’s just Wildcat pride,” Seluk said. “Kids at the school see what we’re doing and they want to be a part of it and that’s great for us.”
One of the drawbacks to the larger numbers is a more frantic workday for Seluk, who has to remind some of the younger team members that the swim season last for three months.
“We have a lot of go-getters and I have to remind them that it’s a long season,” Seluk said. “You want your team to be hitting its stride in time for districts, regionals and state.”
Among the youngsters expected to be among the best on the girls team this season are sophomore Courtney DeVeny and freshman Daniella Jordan. DeVeny reached the state finals last year in the 100 backstroke and the 200 individual medley.
“She’s going to be amazing this year and I’m excited to see her growth,” Seluk said. “I think it was overwhelming for her week-after-week last season but this year I expect her to be more comfortable and understand what she needs to do to perform at state.
Seluk is hoping Jordan can follow in the footsteps of DuBrasky and DeVeny, who both had success during their first high school seasons.
“She’ll be right up there with Courtney and we hope that she can get into the top eight at state like Courtney was as a freshman,” Seluk said.
The boys team is led by sophomore Eddie Zacka and freshman Eric Ordaz Jr., another young duo expected to do big things. Senior Rich McCaw also figures to have a shot at qualifying for state.
“I’m expecting all three of them to have good seasons,” Seluk said. “Last year Rich got sick right before district and wasn’t able to swim so I’m sure he’s motivated going into his senior year.”
Regardless of how her team does during the year, Seluk said she’s embracing the challenge of continuing to grow the Estero program.
“It’s exciting to me and fun to know we have such a large team that’s so eager to learn,” Seluk said. “It’s going to be a fun experience for me as a coach and I know we’re going to have a great year.”
