Confidence is high for the Talawanda swimming and diving team as both the boys’ and girls’ teams enter this weekend’s league championships at Miami University with a head of steam and looking at dual titles.

Talawanda had a strong showing at the Southwest Ohio Coaches Classic two weeks ago and it gave them a mental edge heading into the championship season.

This weekend’s SWOC championships will be even more important to the team and then comes the sectional, district and state meets.

“Things are about the get fun,” Coach Steve Pasquale said. “The season starts slowly and then gets hectic. January is packed every weekend.”

The SWOC meet this weekend could be a double championship for Talawanda, but Pasquale is being realistic, too.

“The girls’ championship could be very close between our girls and Wilmington. Wilmington is a very good team. I’m nervous,” he said. The boys’ team has a chance to be more dominant. “We have the numbers. The others do not really have the depth we have.”

The Talawanda boys’ team finished eighth overall at the Coaches’ Classic with all four relay teams in the top 11 of their events. Junior Scott Richmond finished third in the 100 breaststroke with senior Edgar Caraballo taking eighth in the 100 butterfly.

“I’m real pleased with that. That was the biggest meet to this point of the season,” Pasquale said. “Each team member had at least one season or career best (time). I’m happy with the way we are going.”

With even bigger meets looming, that confidence should help the Braves over a stretch of increasingly stiff opposition. Pasquale said the boys’ team is strong and the girls’ team has been getting stronger as the season has progressed, helped by some new athletes.

“The freshman girls are helping a lot. The boys’ strongest class is juniors. Next year, we will take a hit after they graduate,” the coach said.

Junior Kyra Reisenfeld echoed that thought about the freshman contributions to the girls’ team.

“We have a lot of potential to do well,” she said “I feel confident about it. The freshmen are awesome. I’m really excited about it, especially as a junior. The freshmen will only get better. There is a bright future for this season.”

Junior Scott Richmond swims the 200 medley relay, the 200 individual medley, the 100 breaststroke and the 400 freestyle relay for the boys’ team and sees a strong championship season for the squad.

“The guys’ team is probably the best it has ever been,” he said. “We won the FAVC every year. The SWOC is expanded (from the FAVC field) but we do more training and lifting and expand the training range.”

It’s the free relays where Richmond sees Talawanda as a potential power. The arrival last year of brothers Jesus, a junior, and Edgar Caraballo, a senior, was a big plus for the Talawanda swim team while junior Josh Crowder, added another strong dimension.

Pasquale said the quartet of Richmond, the Caraballo brothers and Crowder are leading the boys’ team and will be their anchor but sophomore Ethan Coffin could provide some superior performances in diving.

“Ethan should make significant contributions in diving. He’s done a great job and I look for that to continue, maybe on to the state,” the coach said.

The coach he has also been impressed with the work of junior Devin Spivey, a newcomer to the swim team who runs cross country and track. Spivey dropped 20 seconds off his 100 free time this season.

Reisenfeld is the strength of the girls’ team, but Pasquale said there are some great athletes on that side, too.

Junior Mira Alexander is a big part of the team’s relays, he said, adding freshman Allie Marks is a versatile swimmer helping at the backstroke and butterfly events. Junior Scarlett Baker has also shown strong improvement over the season and moved into consideration for upcoming competitions.

Freshmen Gloeckner and Grace Huddleston are strong freestylers and sprinters for the girls’ team.

Reisenfeld is excited for her team’s chances but also for her own individual possibilities in the postseason, as well, looking toward the district and even state meets.

“I have the chance to go from both events (the 100 butterfly and 100 backstroke) and the 200 and 400 free relay,” she said. “Potentially, we could have two freshmen with myself (in the relays). For the fourth spot, we have three different swimmers who could get it. It could be really interesting.”

Richmond said he likes his coach’s strategy of going up against all of the teams in the SWOC before the league meet and is confident about Talawanda’s chances Saturday, but knows it will not be easy.

“I can’t deny we’ve seen some tougher competition but the teams we face lack the depth our guys team has. There is at least one Olympic team qualifier. I swam against him a couple times. The teams, though, can’t stand up to our guys team,” Richmond said.

That will change with the sectional and district meets, however, and Talawanda will find itself on the other side of that equation. The Braves will face much deeper teams, like St. Xavier, at the district level.

“They have incredible depth,” he said. “Some (Talawanda) individuals and relays are able to compete.”