The Tamaqua Area swimming program opens its 2025-26 season Saturday at Hazleton with momentum on the girls side and fresh faces filling the boys roster.

Head coach Jennifer Paisley returns a girls team hungry to get back to Bucknell after tasting the state meet atmosphere last season.

Girls eyeing another

state run

The Blue Raiders lost some key contributors from last year, including Isabella Jones, who is now competing at the collegiate level for East Stroudsburg. But the core that qualified for states remains intact.

The entire medley relay that punched its ticket to Bucknell is back, giving Tamaqua a proven foundation in one of swimming’s most critical events. Senior Savannah Wilson, who qualified for states individually in the breaststroke last season, returns alongside fellow senior Ava Jones.

“We were at the state level to compete last year,” Paisley said. “I think being in that position, getting out to Bucknell, was helpful in motivating them to want to work hard to get back there again.”

That experience matters. The nerves of competing at Bucknell are behind them now. The Blue Raiders know what it takes.

Tamaqua’s senior class provides leadership across the roster. Jones, Wilson, Lyla Clemson, Ceanna Gormley, Audrey Natress and newcomer Carla Castro Sencion add a strong veteran presence to a squad that welcomed several young swimmers to fill gaps left by graduation.

The team’s strategy remains consistent — compete as a group during the dual meet season, with swimmers willing to sacrifice individual events for team points. As the postseason approaches, the focus shifts toward individual events and qualifying as many athletes as possible.

“We always look to be competitive within the league itself as a team,” Paisley said. “A lot of those kids will give up some of their individual events just to get those team points so we can win some meets.”

Freshmen Railey Faust, Shaylee Gormley and Emily Geisery join sophomores Gia Clemson and Kathryn Behun, with junior Janna Brown rounding out the roster. With a blend of experience and depth, the Blue Raiders should be competitive in the Schuylkill League.

Boys building from

the ground up

The boys team presents a different challenge — and opportunity.

Senior William Behun serves as the anchor. He’s been swimming since age 5, has four years of varsity experience, and will balance swimming with wrestling this winter. Behun’s background becomes crucial for a roster filled with newcomers learning the sport from the ground up.

“The boys kind of look to him in a leadership role in the pool,” Paisley said. “He’s been one of those kids who’s been around forever.”

Many of Tamaqua’s boys ran cross country in the fall to prepare for spring track. Swimming offers the ideal conditioning bridge between seasons. What began as offseason training has turned into a meaningful learning experience.

“I have a lot of kids that ran cross country and decided to come out for the sport as a way to stay conditioned,” Paisley said. “They’ve actually been working really hard in the pool to get their strokes down, learn the starts and the turns and the basics.”

Sophomores Parker Steencken, Brandon Temarantz, Luis Sanchez, Aidan Elston and William Coombe join senior Thomas Graham, junior Benjamin Hunsicker, and freshmen Memphis Kline and Andrew Kear on the roster.

Paisley expects significant improvement from the beginning of the season to the end as newcomers gain confidence and technical skill. The larger roster size — compared to several other Schuylkill League teams — should help Tamaqua compete in dual meets despite its inexperience.

“We’re just focusing on having fun, improving every day, progressing both as a team and individually,” Paisley said. “It’s always neat to see from the beginning to the end how much more confident they get in the water.”

The Blue Raiders open their season Saturday morning against Hazleton before a December schedule packed with competition.