Hampton’s Underdog Swimmers Set to Make Waves in Postseason Showdown

By: John Grupp


Saturday, January 18, 2025 | 11:01 AM

The Hampton girls swimming squad is relying on excellence over numbers this year.

With a limited yet talented lineup of merely twelve swimmers, the Talbots aim to improve their standing at the WPIAL Class 2A championships following a seventh-place outcome last season.

“We are a high-caliber team regarding our skills and capabilities,” stated interim coach Jasper Jurman, who stepped up to lead the team this season while coach Morgan Zweygardt is on maternity leave. “We might not be the largest team, but our quality shines through.”

The Talbots boast their share of superstar talent, highlighted by standout junior Lainey Sheets, the defending champion in the 200 individual medley and the 100 backstroke in WPIAL Class 2A, alongside junior Gabriella Elk, the current WPIAL diving champion and PIAA runner-up.

Seniors Kevyn Fish and Maya Daughtery return, together with junior Libby Sheets, who, along with her twin sister Lainey, comprise the 200 medley relay and 400 freestyle relay teams that finished in the top five at the 2024 WPIAL championships.

“Our team is small but fierce,” remarked Libby Sheets, a PIAA qualifier in the 100 backstroke and 200 IM. “Each girl on our team is valuable. They work diligently and maintain a positive attitude. I believe even though we’re fewer in number, we have a lot to contribute.”

Lainey Sheets, already recognized as the swiftest female swimmer in the program’s history, will be unable to defend her 200 IM title after sustaining a torn ACL away from the pool this summer. She underwent surgery and has returned to competition, but the injury limits her ability to compete in the breaststroke this season, making the four-stroke IM event unattainable.

“Aside from breaststroke, she can pretty much compete in everything else,” Jurman noted. “Her recovery is progressing well, so we’re not going to rush this.”

Expected to compete in the 100 back, the 200 medley, and the 400 free relays, Lainey Sheets, the 2024 PIAA runner-up in the 100 backstroke, will also likely participate in an individual event to be determined at the WPIAL championships on February 27-28 at Pitt’s Trees Pool.

Considering she holds the school record in five events—the 100 freestyle, 200 free, 100 back, 100 butterfly, and 200 IM—Sheets has plenty of choices.

“Backstroke poses no issues at all,” Jurman said. “Right now, the priority is focusing on her recovery without exerting too much pressure regarding specific times. We want her to return to full health as she was previously.”

The girls landed seventh at WPIALs last year, but they were just 11 points shy of a third-place finish. Fish, who was in the top 10 in the 100 back, and Daugherty, who ranked in the top 10 in the 100 breast, are driven to excel in their final seasons, while Elk, who is only the second WPIAL diving champion in the program’s history, offers an early scoring advantage.

“I believe this year we will see a few more girls qualifying for WPIALs,” Libby Sheets expressed. “We didn’t have as many girls competing in individual events last year. I think this will greatly benefit us. We’re all eager to get there.”

The Hampton boys find themselves in a similar situation as the girls, with only 11 swimmers on their roster. Senior Chris Belch leads the team; last season, he placed third in the 100 fly and 100 back at the WPIALs and achieved a top-six finish in the state.

“Chris is consistently putting in the effort and performing well, both in and out of the water,” Jurman stated. “I’m optimistic we’ll observe positive outcomes from him by season’s end.”

The boys have also welcomed back a trio of other PIAA qualifiers: seniors Wil Cramer (200 IM) and Scott Watkins (relays) along with sophomore Connor Sutterlin (200 IM, 100 fly).

Hampton, the WPIAL Class 2A team champion in 2021 and 2022, seeks to contend in the 200 medley relay, where Cramer will join Belch, Watkins, and Sutterlin on a team that finished third at WPIALs and sixth at states.

Freshman Isaac Retsch, younger brother of state champion Will Retsch, has already qualified for WPIALs in the 500 free.

“We’re making good progress toward our objectives as the season concludes,” Jurman commented. “As long as we put forth our best effort, that’s all I ask.”

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