OCHS swim team heading for new horizons

By Kyle Jorrey jorrey@theacorn.com

ON THE MOVE-Nolan Koon of Oaks Christian comes up for air in the 200 individual medley during the Frontier League Swimming Championships at Oaks Christian last Tuesday.

Though they might not play under the Friday night lights in front of a crowd that numbers in the hundreds, the Oaks Christian boys’ swim team is having a season every bit as dominant as the one enjoyed last fall by the school’s record-setting, CIF title-winning football squad.

The Div. IV Lions, who today are competing for a Frontier League championship, finished the season 9-0 in dual meets, having defeated teams in Div. I, II and III along the way. They’ve qualified 15 out of 16 swimmers for the postseason, including eight freshmen, and now seem primed for the program’s first ever CIF team title.

"That’s what everyone is focusing on right now, winning that CIF title," said senior freestyler Matt Brigham. "We’ve all bought into the idea that we are going to do this as a team. It’s no longer about all the individuals. It’s about the team, and seeing the team win a championship. It especially means a lot to the seniors."

Four years after the program first hit the water, and a year after the departure of the most recognized swimmer in school history—Princeton’s Brett Shiflett—the team is reaching new heights thanks to an influx of talented young swimmers and the guided leadership of a few upperclassmen.

Head coach Dave Moore, who’s been there from the start, said the success of this year’s collection wouldn’t be possible if not for the swimmers that came before it.

"Swimmers like Brett Shiflett and Chris Rosas really set the foundation for this entire program, and we’ve just built off of that," said Moore, who rebuilt programs at El Camino and Moorpark high schools before coming to Oaks Christian in 2001. "Now the boys’ team has developed some momentum, we’ve gotten some very good club swimmers, and things have just taken off."

The biggest story behind this season is without a doubt the sudden impact of all the fresh faces who arrived at OCHS over the summer, freshmen like Kevin Nielsen, Michael Blanchard, Michael Craft and Nolan Koon.

Nielsen, a club swimmer from Camarillo who is ranked in the top 16 nationally in six different events has already qualified for six individual CIF events. Blanchard has qualified in four and Craft and Koon have both qualified for three.

"A lot of us are club swimmers, and we came here with the idea that we could do well right away, and that’s just how it happened," Nielsen said. "But I don’t know if coach Moore had any idea that it’d turn out this way."

With the addition of so many talented youngsters, one might expect some rabble rousing from the older swimmers, but none of that has taken place according to team members.

"We have such a strong freshman squad this year that we (the seniors) just feel like we’re the old regime—we’re on our way out and they’re on their way in," Brigham said. "But they’re all great, all good, fun-loving kids, so the transition has been smooth. At first some of the seniors might have felt that they we were being forgotten, but we’ve all gotten over that. We’re just happy they’ve helped the team so much."

Still, the seniors can’t help but take opportunity to poke some good-natured fun at themselves.

"Whatever records we set, we better enjoy them because they’re all going to be gone next year," joked senior Adam Corriea. "Sure, we’re getting beat by 14- and 15-year-olds, but we’ve still all found roles on this team. And I know the younger guys still look up to us as seniors."

Correia (50-meter freestyle), Brigham (500 free) and fellow senior Tim Ragan (200 individual medley, 100 backstroke) have all qualified for CIF, evidence that this group is still holding its own against outside competition.

Moore said he believes this team’s greatest strength might be its unity, not only between young and old, but between boy and girl.

"As a group, we have a positive circle of support. The kids on this team want to support each other," Moore said. "When there is a tight race or they know someone is going for a time, everyone is over their cheering for them. Swimming is an individual sport, but we still approach it as if everyone is in this together."

When Brigham achieved his CIF qualifying time in the 500 free two weeks ago, his end of the pool was filled with team members, both boy and girl, screaming words of encouragement.

"Hearing that just made all the difference in the world. It’s the spirit of the team pushing you to go farther," Brigham said. "The friendships on this team are so strong, everyone is always pushing each other. It’s incredible. And I think that’s what will take us far."