Poplar Bluff seniors, from left, Jackie LeGrand, Nancy Sorrell, Lauren Decker and Alexa Hon lead the Lady Mules swim team. (Brian Rosener/DAR)

By BRIAN ROSENER ~ DAR Sports Editor

With a roster of 14, Poplar Bluff swim coach Beth Lewis will try her hand at juggling this winter.

"Last year we always worked on times," the second-year coach said. "But this year, we're going to work on (scoring) points."

To do that, the Lady Mules will be spread throughout the eight individual events and three relays when the season opens today at the Black River Aquatic Center.

Poplar Bluff is led by a senior class that features captains and returning lettermen Lauren Decker and Nancy Sorrell as well as Alexa Hon and Jackie LeGrand. Sophomores Hannah Crites and Jade Floyd also return after leading Poplar Bluff in events at the end of last season.

Anna Lampe and Kayla Huett, both juniors, also return along with sophomore Jordan Widman.

Ashlee Mattox, Tristan McColl and Hillary Webb join the team this season as juniors along with freshmen Mary Payne and Kristina Baker.

Even though nearly half the team did not swim last season, Lewis said all of the new swimmers have some kind of swimming knowledge or are athletic enough to pick up the techniques.

"It hasn't been as frustrating," she added.

At least the Lady Mules have spent the preseason in the water.

The pool in Cape Girardeau was shut down until earlier this month, giving teams like Cape Central just a few days of pool time before their first meet. The Lady Tigers will be in town today while first-year program Jackson will be here Thursday.

"They've always been a solid team so I don't think it's going to be that much of a distraction for them," said Lewis of Central.

The Lady Mules have been working with new equipment such as kickboards and paddles while former coach Suzanne Schneider has been helping the team with stroke techniques once a week, Lewis said. The team also cut back on some two-a-day workouts.

"They kind of like that, but they're definitely putting the work in the pool," Lewis said. "They've had some hard workouts."

Poplar Bluff finished third at the Show-Me Conference meet last winter behind Notre Dame and Cape Central while beating St. Vincent.

Decker and Sorrell each earned a pair of individual medals at the conference meet last season. Decker led Poplar Bluff in the 200-individual medley and the backstroke while Sorrell led the team in the 200 and 500 freestyle events. Floyd returns after earning a medal in the butterfly.

"I guess in their own way everybody is a leader on this team," Lewis said. "It's just not my seniors that are good with everything. I've got a good group of sophomores and my freshmen who have never swam before are pretty talented."

After the Christmas break, the Lady Mules host Notre Dame on Jan. 14 for Senior Night and hit the road nine times before ending the season Feb. 6 at the conference meet.