Yorktown Can See The Beach From Here

The recent snow hasn't deterred Dave Lassiter from thinking about his upcoming trip to the beach. Anyone unsuccessful in reaching the Yorktown swim coach on his cellphone is greeted by a message listing the items he is planning to take next month: sunscreen, shades and flip-flops.

Lassiter and the Patriots girls' team, however, are hoping to return from Virginia Beach on Feb. 10 with something more -- the AAA state championship trophy.

The thrill of taking the team's first overnight trip has added excitement to Yorktown's state title defense, which begins this weekend with the National District championships at Providence RECenter in Falls Church.

"I hope the excitement sticks with them," Lassiter said, "and they swim with the adrenaline."

When rumors began circulating last week that the state championships were moving from Manassas to Virginia Beach, the Patriots voiced their excitement to Lassiter. When the move became official, the coach accused his swimmers of "wish-craft."

All puns aside, Yorktown's girls finished the regular season 6-1, with their only loss to state contender Robinson on a weekend when several top swimmers on both teams missed the dual meet because of club team commitments.

With senior All-Met Katy Hinkle leading the way, the Patriots have as good a chance as any team to win the title.

"We use [last year's state title] as motivation," Hinkle said. "We say, 'We're state champs, so we should be going fast.' We know it doesn't mean anything this year, though, and it's a different scenario."

Katie Radloff, a key member of last year's team, graduated, but Hinkle said she hopes that some of the team's younger swimmers can provide the depth needed to score in the region and state meets. Also, sophomore Maren Taylor, the reigning Northern Region diving champion, has recovered from the dislocated elbow that kept her out of last year's state meet. She will dive and swim the 50 freestyle.

Titans Looking to Move Up

Senior Anders Davis leads the T.C. Williams boys' team into this weekend's Patriot District championships at Lee District RECenter. The Titans hope to improve on last year's sixth-place finish, and Anders's performance in the 50 and 100 freestyle will be crucial.

Davis finished sixth and fourth, respectively, in those events at last year's district meet and is expected to place higher this weekend. He won both of those events in T.C. Williams's Jan. 12 victory over Hayfield.

"He definitely brings a lot of personality to the team," Titans assistant coach Devon Hylander said. "He's a little rambunctious. He gets the team motivated. They know that when he gets up on the block, it's time to go."

Junior Larry Dow will swim the 200 individual medley, an event in which he qualified for the Northern Region meet last season, and the 500 freestyle. Dow and Davis will lead the Titans' attempt to qualify for regionals in the 200 and 400 freestyle relays.