Parker Jeseritz, Park’s top swimmer from last season has departed – but the Wolfpack have some talented veterans and promising newcomers set to hit the waters this season.

Jeseritz qualified for state last season in both the 100 butterfly and the 100 backstroke.

Veteran swimmers Ethan Cole, Damion Charpentier and Paul Wallace return to help lead the Wolfpack.

“These are all boys I knew when I was still in school so it’s really great to see them,” said head coach Arachi O’Brien. “First of all, they’re all so old and tall and strong now so it’s really – they look way different. It’s kind of crazy but it’s also cool to see that they’ve stuck with it and really become top dogs, I guess. They’re really great leaders, too, nice kids.”

O’Brien is still figuring out who will swim in which events this winter.

“I have to get to know Damion and Paul a bit more and the swimmers that they’re become,” O’Brien said. “I’ve been interactive with Ethan Cole a bit more and know he’s really trying hard to get his 50 freestyle down. I think he hopefully wants to compete at state.”

Cole (50 freestyle, backstroke) and Charpentier are probably Park’s best bets to fare well sections and qualify for state this winter.

In last season’s Section 3AA meet Park was fifth in the 200-yard medley relay (Jeseritz, Wallace, Charpentier, Luke Dockendorf, 1:45.08); seventh in the 200-yard freestyle relay (Cole, Tyler Cracauer, Hayden Bonner, Lalee Yang, 1:39.06) and fourth in the 400-yard freestyle relay (Yang, Cole, Dockendorf, Jeseritz, 3:24.28).

Park junior diver Ethyn Schilling repeated his sixth-place section finish from a year ago with a score of 320.90. Carter Darling was 10th (267.75) and Trey Jaso 11th (261.10).

Charpentier was 11th in the 200-yard IM (2:12.96) and Cracauer 16th (2:15.63), Dockendorf finished ninth in the 50-yard freestyle (22.97) and Yang was 11th (23.55), Yang was ninth in the butterfly (57.28), Cole was ninth in the 100-yard freestyle (50.43), Charpentier 11th in the 500-yard freestyle (5:21.33).

In the backstroke besides Jeseritz, Dockendorf was 11th (1:00.83), Cole 13th (1:01.45) and Cracauer 14th (1:01.47), Wallace placed seventh in the breaststroke (1:06.46).

A lot of Park’s newcomers are still in “the learning lane,” said O’Brien. “We’ll see how they pick things up and usually once when they pick things up, they really, momentum just builds and builds.”

Park opens the swim and dive season Thursday with the conference relays at Oltman Middle School, starting at 5:30 p.m. The Wolfpack hosts Cretin-Derham Hall Thursday, Dec. 18, in the first home meet.