The Perry swim season might look a little different this year with a new roster, a new and longer schedule and a new final destination. But it’s still the same program that has been building momentum and purpose year after year.
Perhaps the biggest change is the absence of Quin Mahler-Moreno, the program’s first-ever athlete to swim at the state meet all four years with Perry. But her presence on the team has proven to be a launchpad for the remaining roster, including 2024 state qualifier Aleah Karolus who attributed some of her success to Mahler-Moreno’s coaching ability as a teammate.
Now Karolus, along with Cali Hernandez and Harper Peterson, look to return to the state meet this year after qualifying last year as part of the 200 medley relay team.
Head coach Jean Dowd, going into her 27th season coaching the program, said that she feels “really good” about the upcoming season thanks in part to that trio, along with four more experienced swimmers and a roster that developed more this summer.
“Most of the girls swam on [conference-winning summer swim team] this summer, and so they’ve got a lot of experience and benefitted from Quin’s leadership,” Dowd said. “They’ve got her experiences from past years to draw on. That helped get the team off to a great start.”
Dowd also noted the returning experience from Charlee Cromwell, Ellie Hughes and Malia Jacobson as big reasons to be hopeful for the season as the team looks for consistency and the best events to plug each team member.
But even with that experience, Dowd notes that this is still an “incredibly young team” that has only one senior, Emma Valenzulea-Flores, leaving plenty of room to grow not only this year but in 2026.
Having been a team that has made it to the state meet the past number of years with solo qualifiers and relay teams alike, the team is still eyeing a return to the final meet of the season. But unlike previous years where the season ended in Marshalltown, this year’s finale will be held in Iowa City with a new swim facility for some extra motivation.
And it should be a long, fun road for the Jayettes, as the team has a number of road trips ahead, including the team’s first-ever trip to Algona, along with a trip to Atlantic and Indianola.
Perry’s opening meet is Thursday, Aug. 28 at the McCreary Community Building.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Perry swim preview: New chapter begins for Jayettes
Reporting by Sean Cordy / Des Moines Register
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
