The Boiling Springs swim team opened up the season in an impressive fashion on Monday night as they were victorious in every event but one to defeat Oakbrook Prep at the Middle Tyger YMCA.
"We had a great first meet," said Bulldogs head coach Lanie Peden. "We were able to win every event but one. We had six individual swimmers get an automatic qualifying time for the State Championship and our men's medley relay got their automatic cut for state. We also had numerous personal bests." The men's 200m medley team (Will Humphreys, Ashton Threadgill, Samuel Jouault, and Garrett Watson) made the automatic cut for state by putting down a time of 1:44.66 winning the event by twelve seconds. They were one of the six Boiling Springs relay teams that came away with victories on Monday night. The Bulldogs won both the men's and women's 200y freestyle as Miles Humphreys and Morgan Greenlee came away with victories. Katelyn Mazurowski and Samuel Jouault both came away with wins as well in the 200y individual medley In the 50y freestyle events Molly Verdell and Garrett Watson came away with victories. Will Humphreys and Katelyn Mazurowski both won the 100y butterfly events while Grace Sharp won the women's 100y freestyle. The only event not won by a Bulldogs swimmer was the men's 100y freestyle which was won by Oakbrook Prep's Drew Smiley in a time of 51.75. Laney Moore and Garrett Watson won the 500y freestyle events while Molly Verdell and Will Humphreys won the 100y backstroke events. The final two events of the night were the 100y breaststroke events that were won by Ashton Threadgill and Lauren Agnew. The Bulldogs will look to continue their momentum from Monday night's event into a tough region competition on Thursday as they face Clover and Nation Ford at the Clover YMCA. Boiling Springs Girls GolfIn a year where the craziness of the pandemic has taken over the lives of everyone it seems, the 2020 Boiling Springs girls golf team is looking to restore some normalcy to their lives by getting back to the golf course where they've had a lot of success the last few years. "We're really excited about the upcoming season," said new Bulldogs head coach Macy Tate. "We're looking forward to finally getting back together as a team for practices and some competition." The Bulldogs are coming off a season where they won the Region II-5A championship, finished second at Upper State, and third at the state championship tournament. While they are the defending Region II-5A champions they won't get a chance to defend that title as the Bulldogs will be competing this season in a brand new region/ The Bulldogs will be competing in Region III-5A this season which includes Fort Mill, Nation Ford, Clover, and the only familiar foe will be Gaffney. Despite being in a new region though they will still be seeing a lot of familiar faces as the Bulldogs will be competing in a lot of tournaments throughout the state along with some contests against former Region II-5A teams. "We are excited about competing in a new region this year," said Tate. "We are also looking forward to participating in various tournaments throughout the state against some of the top teams in the state." While the Bulldogs will be competing in a new region they will be bringing back some firepower on the course as they return four starters from last season's team, including two All-State players senior MK Talledo and sophomore Madison Dixon. Talledo and Dixon will be joined by senior Faith Nanna and junior Sarah Wentz as they will look to capture a new region championship trophy along with making their way back to the Upper State and State Championship tournaments. Boiling Springs will start their journey on August 31 in a matchup against Byrnes at River Falls. Tate Takes Reigns Of Bulldogs Golf TeamMacy Tate comes into this season as the new head coach of the Boiling Springs girls golf team, which is a surreal feeling for her as she was a member of the inaugural Bulldogs girls golf team as a seventh grader just a few short years ago. "I never really thought about the opportunity until recently," said Tate. "It's kind of a surreal feeling." While being the head coach golf coach will be a new experience for Tate it won't be a first for her family as both her mother (Susan) and father (Rick) both served as head golf coaches at Boiling Springs in the past. Having family that's been in your same position before can be a valuable resource and it's one that Tate says she has taken advantage of as she has leaned on and will continue to lead on the experience of her parents as she goes into this season. "I literally have a new question for both of them everyday," said Tate. "They both have been a lot of help and it's really nice to have them to lean on with their experience." Being a head coach comes with many responsibilities outside of just competition and one of those is helping the athletes learn to juggle their academics while competing in athletics. Tate believes that being a former player herself that's one area she will be able to relate with her players the most since it's an area that she dealt with a lot as a player. She believes that if she can help them with that then hopefully playing golf becomes less stressful. "I think one of the biggest things I can help them out with most isn't even about golf but learning how to juggle their academic lives with their athletic lives," said Tate. "We travel a lot with competitions so they lose time in school and I know that can be stressful because it used to stress me out in school. If I can help them learn how to manage that then golf becomes less stressful for them," In recent years the success of the Bulldogs golf program has been pretty impressive having won multiple region championships and coming off a third place finish at the state championship just last season. Tate says that despite it being her first year the expectations for the Bulldogs golf team still remain high. "Our expectations are still the same," said Tate. "I just want to make sure that I do everything I can to make the girls successful but I think we're in a good place and hopefully we'll be able to show the same results we have in recent years." Boiling Springs VolleyballIn sports they say that experience is something that you just can't teach and this year the Boiling Springs volleyball team will be returning nine players, including six seniors, as they start their journey to the 5A playoffs this season. The Bulldogs just missed out on the playoffs last season after losing a coin toss to decide the fifth place team to make it into the playoffs, a scenario that the Bulldogs are using for motivation this season. "Last season we finished with kind of a bad pill in our mouth after losing the coin toss," said Boiling Springs head coach Allison Elliot. "We put ourselves in the position to have our playoff fate decided like that last season and I think the girls learned some valuable lessons because one of the things that went into our playoff situation was points giving up in games. The girls learned that you have to play hard every point because you don't know how it will effect you when it comes to the end of the season. It has really put a fire into our team and having training taking away from us through the pandemic it has put a desire in this team because I think they're hungry to just get back on the court and compete." Their journey will be a little different this season as they will be joining Region III-5A where they will compete against Gaffney, Nation Ford, Clover, and Fort Mill. With their new region they will miss out on some local rivalries but will look to keep a few of those alive as teams like Spartanburg, Byrnes, and Chapman are still on the schedule. "I'm excited about the new region to see some fresh faces and fresh teams that we're not used to seeing," said Elliot. "We're still playing a lot of local teams that we've typically played over the years as well. We're starting the season with region play so it puts a big emphasis for us to be ready to play right out of the gate and I think this team understands that and will be ready to play on day one." The Bulldogs will be returning five starters from last year's team as All-Region senior setter Madison Gregory who hit the 1,000 career assists milestone last season and will be looking to get to the 2,000 mark this year. Entering her fourth season for the Bulldogs varsity team, she will be joined by fellow All-Region setter/hitter junior Savannah Page who finished last season with 239 kills and 35 aces. One of the strengths of the Bulldogs team will be their defense where they have senior defensive specialists Zoe Hughes and All-Region player Alex Fyfe returning as they combined last season to receive 800 serves and register almost 500 digs. They will be joined by another returning starter in Logan Kenny who Coach Elliot says "is a hard worker that can be trusted to get a solid block for the team." "The five returners bring a strong leadership and a knowledge of the game to this team," said Elliot. "Madison brings a consistent and calming presence on the court while Fyfe and Hughes give us solid defense on the back row." The Bulldogs will also look to get key contributions from many newcomers on this team as well which Coach Elliot says is a very talented group. She says that two players out of that group Cloe Wood and Gracie Kilgore have already added a spark to the team's practices. With the difficulties this year of having a normal offseason Coach Elliot says that the excitement for the upcoming season by the team has been there throughout as they had over fifty-two girls participate in the offseason through Zoom conditioning workouts. "The adjustments haven't kept the girls away," said Elliot. "With the circumstances the way they are, we've had to adjust in so many ways. We didn't have our 'normal' events in spring and summer but even with all the changes they have stayed involved and I have been impressed with the energy our girls bring to each practice." The Bulldogs will look to make this season a special one for the team and especially the seniors even with changes due to Covid-19 causing it to be a not so normal season. "We are working on the dates of our senior night and our annual 'Pink Game' event," said Elliot. "We want it to be a great year for our seniors and will be creative in making it a season to remember." Boiling Springs will open their season on September 8th in a road matchup against region opponent Gaffney. McManus Joins Bulldogs Volleyball TeamThe name McManus roaming the sidelines of high school courts in South Carolina is nothing new but this season it will be a new face carrying that last name on the sidelines as former Boiling Springs and Lander University standout volleyball player Hannah McManus will join the Bulldogs volleyball team as an assistant coach this season. She says that the opportunity to get back and coach in a community that she grew up in for her is a special opportunity. "Boiling Springs is a community I grew up in and I'm so excited to be coaching here," said McManus. "I'm so excited that Coach Elliot gave me an opportunity to come back and coach in a community that I love and is so close to my heart." McManus just this past season finished up a pretty successful college playing career at Lander University where she was an All-Peach Belt conference selection in both her junior and senior seasons. She also led her team in digs in all four seasons while at Lander and even set the school record with 763 in her senior year. While this season will be McManus' first year coaching from the sidelines, it's not an altogether new role to her as she has spent many years watching her father, Hal McManus, and grandfather, Harold McManus, roam the sidelines of gyms throughout the state where both coached teams to state championships in basketball. McManus said that she knew from an early age that this would be her path and has soaked up a lot of advice from her father as she enters her first season coaching. "I felt like I was placed in this position before I even realized it was something I wanted to do as my dad and grandpa would always say that I was going to be an educator and a coach when I got older," said McManus with a laugh. "It's so great to be able to get advice from my dad and to be able to learn from him. He's given me a lot of advice on things to do and not to do. With my dad doing this for so long I already knew what to expect with late nights and helping athletes to get better which is why we're here as coaches." McManus jokingly added that while her dad is known for being fiery on the sidelines she's going to probably bring a similar personality but a little toned down saying, "It runs in my blood, I am a McManus." Coach Elliot said that she is excited to be adding McManus to her coaching staff because she brings such a good energy to the court. She also added that having a assistant with recent college playing experience can do nothing but help her players. "When Hannah played for us here at Boiling Springs she was such a fireball," said Elliot. "I'm just so pumped that she's able to come back and coach with us. I'm getting the opportunity to pass down some of my coaching knowledge on to her as she's getting into coaching but as far as the game goes having her here is such a resource as I've given her free reign to speak up and share her thoughts and ideas on how to make us better, whether it's running practices or drills." Elliot said that having one of her former players with her on the sideline is something that she is really looking forward to this season. "Having people that you trust and invested time in now coming back and investing their time and effort into a new group of kids is just exciting," said Elliot. "It will be fun working with her and she's always had a competitive nature. I look forward to seeing that side of her that was on the court now showing up on the sidelines." Boiling Springs Girls TennisThe 2019 season saw the Boiling Springs Bulldogs tennis team struggle against more experienced competition but in 2020 the team has a year of experience under their belt and look to take advantage of that this season. Last season the team was looking to replace their long time number one player Anna Greer and were able to find two players to fill out their top two spots as Madison Ball and Sydney Braswell both stepped up to lead the Bulldogs last season. Both players will return for the 2020 season and will look to lead the team once again this year. They are two of the five returning players for the Bulldogs off last season's team. "We're looking forward to a great season," said Bulldogs head coach Jill Cooke. "This is a hardworking group of girls that will give their all every time they step onto the courts." The Bulldogs will look to start their 2020 season on September 1st in a road matchup against region foe Gaffney. Boiling Springs Swim TeamThe Boiling Springs swim team will enter the 2020 season with the largest team they've ever had after coming off a season where both teams finished with 10-4 records. The team finished last year with four All-Region swimmers and sent twelve swimmers to the state championship meet in Columbia and like their fellow Bulldogs teams they will be entering into a new region this season competing against Gaffney, Fort Mill, Clover, and Nation Ford. "We have a lots of young dedicated swimmers that are focused on learning the sport and meeting new personal goals," said Bulldogs head coach Lanie Peden. "We are in a new highly competitive swim region." The Bulldogs will be looking to get key contributions from senior female swimmers Lauren Agnew, Makenzy Carothers, Katelyn Mazurowski, Mary Lauren Reese, and Molly Verdell. Mazurowski along with freshman Morgan Greenlee will be two of the three All-Region swimmers returning to the Bulldogs in 2020. The girls team will be returning fourteen swimmers while the boys team will be returning seven swimmers from last season. On the boys side they will look to get key contributions from junior Will Humphreys, who is the third All-Region selection returning to the Bulldogs this season. "I am expecting big things from my senior girls," said Peden. "On the boys side Will Humphreys will be a big contributor while Samuel Jouault and Ashton Threadgill have both progressed and will be fun to watch in competition." The Bulldogs will start their season on August 31st at Middle Tyer YMCA in a meet against Oakbrook and Greer Middle College. Boiling Springs Cross CountryBoys Cross CountryThe 2020 boys cross country season will be one for development as the Bulldogs will be a young team that has a bright future ahead of it. "We graduated several of our top runners last year, but we are lucky to have a great young group of guys who are very passionate about the sport and have a great understanding of what is to come for them," said Bulldogs head coach Caleb Weathers. "There is a lot that goes into preparing for a successful season but this group truly makes my job as their coach easy." On such a young team the Bulldogs will look to two of their more experienced runners, Jake Skory and Connor Riordan, to help keep their team on the right track. While many runners on the team are young they have been a part of the program for years where they've had the ability to watch the effort put in by former runners who have went on to run at the collegiate level. "It is also incredibly helpful that the majority of these guys have been a part of this program for a few years and have had several other guys to look up to who have gone on to run at the next level," said Weathers. Even with a younger team Coach Weathers says that the expectations of the team remain high as they will continue to compete in several tough meets throughout the year to get themselves at their best by the end of the season. "We definitely have a tradition of excellence within our program, and it is my expectation that this team will continue that tradition and make Bulldog nation very proud," said Weathers. "While things are going to look a lot different this season than in years past, I have no doubt that we are going to surprise a lot of people and will have an excellent season." Girls Cross CountryThe 2020 girls cross country team will look to improve on a seventh place region finish last season and have been working hard this offseason to improve their results.
They will be looking to get strong leadership this season from seniors Abigail Harris and Jessie Acre while also getting strong efforts from younger runners like Alyssa Skory, Calayah Davis, and Amber Goff. "We've been putting an emphasis on higher mileage during summer workouts," said Bulldogs head coach Greg Moore. "We hope that this will translate into a higher region finish this year." The Bulldogs cross country teams will kick of their seasons on September 5th in the Spartanburg Scrimmage at Spartanburg High School. |
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