The Juanita swim team will have to overcome inexperience to succeed this season.

The Rebels lost 11 swimmers and divers to graduation from last season, but coach Jim Verdier still expects the team to be competitive in the KingCo.

“We’re off to a good start and we’re swimming well,” Verdier said. “There’s a bunch of teams in the league we’ll be really competitive with.”

Verdier said most of his returning swimmers are already faster at this point than they were at the end of last season, so he expects the growth to continue and the team to improve. A big reason for that might be that Verdier is entering his second season (Verdier has 25 years of club coaching experience) as the coach of the boys program.

“It’s easier because a lot of work doesn’t have to get done a second time,” Verdier said.

Impact swimmers this season include Tony Faucet, Alex Helsel, Jacob Helsel and Jason Carter. Helsel is a freshman, while Carter is a sophomore. The two lead to what Verdier called a “very good spread of age across the team.”

Two big additions for the team will be outside the pool — assistant coach Annie Price and dive coach Trey Stock. Price is a Juanita graduate and currently the head coach of the girls swim team at Woodinville High School.

“She has a really good feel for what I want to do,” Verdier said. “It’s great to have someone like that around helping.”

Stock was a state competitor for Kennedy High School and his father is a dive coach.

After qualifying nine swimmers for districts last season, Verdier said he hopes to get 12 swimmers to that level this season.

Juanita lost its first two meets against Roosevelt and Mercer Island, but those should be two of the toughest opponents the Rebels will face all season. Mercer Island dominated the state meet last season by more than doubling the second place team’s score. Juanita’s third meet scheduled for Dec. 19 at Bothell was postponed because of inclement weather.

Juanita’s next meet is Jan. 8 against Eastlake.

Sports Writer Adam McFadden can be reached at amcfadden@reporternewspapers.com or 253-219-2282.