Washington’s last swim meet was mid-February. The boys traveled out to Cary and won the 1-A/2-A state championship. Now, as the banner proudly hangs in the Moore Aquatic and Fitness Center, the Pam Pack begins its title defense.

The boys got off to a hot start. They opened their season with a tough opponent in Conley, which is a 4-A program. They earned 138 points in their first meet to edge out the Vikings, who earned 127 points, and also beat another 4-A squad in South Central.

The girls are continuing to rebuild after a strong stretch just a few years ago. They, too, got off on the right foot with a second-place finish against an elite group in the Lady Vikings.

The state championship may put the Pam Pack on everyone’s radar, but it’s business as usual for Washington. Here’s what coach Spencer Pake had to say about his team’s first meet, and what’s in store for this campaign.

 

How the Pam Pack’s schedule looks this season:

“All season, we’re going to swim against strong opponents. We want them to go out there at each meet, and feel like they have to go out there and race. We try to schedule the toughest opponents we can. It’s going to build our strength up as we go into January and February.”

 

Whether or not he’s talked to the team about being on everyone’s radar:

“We haven’t talked about it much. We know what we have to do. We’ve got our eyes set on hopefully going back and having another run, winning another championship. We’re just focused and know what we need to do.”

 

What needs to happen between now and when the postseason arrives:

“I saw a lot of positive things (Wednesday) from our young swimmers I’m looking to step up this year. Harrison Schmidt, Hodges Tubaugh, Patrick Lovenberg and Braeden Beach all had good swims. They’re freshmen and sophomores. We’re going to build up there and get them a little bit stronger throughout the season, and hopefully they can fill some of the voids from Eric Lovenberg, Mason Beach and Win Martin.”

 

What is expected of reigning 100-yard backstroke state champion Kevin Andrews:

“He’s expecting big things from himself. He’s a senior now, and he’s one of my leaders. Him and A.J. (Howard), they both have high expectations. They’re stronger than they were last year, so the sky is the limit. They train hard every day. We’ll see what happens. I’m expecting big things out of them.”

 

What he’s expecting from the girls as they continue to rebuild:

“The expectation is that they continue to rebuild. They’re already improved from last year. We’ve got several swimmers that are new to swimming that have already stepped up and improved over the last few weeks. I’m proud of the girls’ performance (on Wednesday). They took second against two top teams.

“I’m looking for big things for them. I’m looking for the relays and a couple of individuals to make states this year.”

 

Who the leaders are for the Lady Pack:

“We’ve got Courtney Richards. She’s a big leader for us. Madeline Brodie, Tiana Van Cura and Claire Shepherd — they’re new swimmers, and they’re going to step up and do big things for us.”