Sports

Boys swim team prepares to dive into the season

Tyler Nels, Overflow Editor • November 10, 2023

Swimmer Wylie Porter competing during a swim meet.

After breaking several school records last season, the Pleasant Valley Boys Swim team is ready to make an even bigger mark in the state this year.

The Spartans ended last season with a victory at districts and a top five finish at state.

Wylie Porter, a senior and varsity member of the team, looks forward to his teammates just as much as swimming. “I’m excited to spend a lot of time with my teammates and get to know the incoming freshman,” he said.

This year, the team doesn’t appear to have any weaknesses. “Our relays are really strong. We have some good distance swimmers in the 500 and 200. We also have pretty good sprint swimmers in the 50 and 100,” said Porter.

Two of the stars returning this year are seniors Owen Chiles and Will Gorman, who were responsible for setting a total of six school records in both individual and team events.

Chiles currently holds two individual school records in the 200 individual medley relay and the 100 backstroke. Gorman also holds two school records, in the 100 free and the 500 free. Both competed with other teammates to set the 200 medley relay and 400 free relay record. These two athletes will give Pleasant Valley a huge boost in the individual and team events this season.

Junior swimmer Will Parrish appreciates what Chiles and Gorman bring to the team. “Having Owen and Will on the team pushes the rest of us to improve in the pool, in the weight room and during meets,” he said.

In terms of local competition, Porter believes, “our biggest competition is Bettendorf.” The team has goals of winning its district meet and placing in the top five at state this season. Before setting their minds on state, the Spartans will compete in five multi-team meets around the state and five duals with local area teams.

While the season is right around the corner, the Spartans are not set to hit the water until November 30th in a home dual meet against Davenport North.

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About the Contributor

Tyler Nels, Overflow Editor

Tyler Nels is a senior at Pleasant Valley and is the Overflow Editor for the Spartan Shield. Tyler looks forward to studying biology in college, going into oncology, and eventually curing people of their cancer. He enjoys various sciences classes like Anatomy and Physiology, AP Physics 2, and Microbiology/Organic Chemistry. A Captain and Varsity member of the Cross Country team, running has become more of a lifestyle instead of just a sport. You can find him anywhere in the Quad Cities taking on a long run! Collector of running shoes and service hours, Tyler enjoys giving back time to his local community. Over the summer he organized a collection drive at The Belmont Mile that repurposed over 110 pairs of running shoes and raised $100+ for the Track Guy Organization. In addition to volunteering, Tyler enjoys playing golf, pickleball, spikeball, and other outdoor activities with his friends. Tyler is ecstatic to write for the Spartan Shield this school year!