The Nansemond River High School swim teams are off to a strong start in this early part of the season.

The girls’ and boys’ swim teams at NR are currently 2-1 and 3-0, respectively. Nansemond River came into the season off of a strong year last year. The boys’ team had the best season in the school’s history record-wise and had multiple swimmers make the Class 5 state swim meet and placed 16th as a team. The girls sent two swimmers and placed 30th.

This year, Coach Shamus Riley believes that his girls’ team is as strong as he has seen since he has been coaching at Nansemond River. Last season, the girls finished 4-5, and with two more wins, they can tie their win total from last season.

“They are stronger than I originally thought they’d be,” he said. “In my 11 years coaching here, it’s probably the strongest girls’ team I’ve had. They are still very young compared to some of the more experienced teams we may face.”

Kristina Zachary and Selby Heyman headline the team, as they were state meet participants last year. Ashlyn Swaim and Rana Ceribasi are two freshmen who have added talent to a strong girls’ team.

On the boys’ side, Hunter Ward and Andrew Betts are elite swimmers. Ward and Betts swam in the state meet last year. John Sullivan and Jason Breckner are also experienced state swimmers who will help the boys’ team be successful this season.

Overall, Riley feels good about what he has returned as a whole and expects a strong number of state qualifiers this season.

“Both of the teams are talented,” Riley said. “We expect to continue to be in the top half of the district and also be able to make some noise in our region. It should be another fun season.”

Last Saturday, Nansemond River faced Oscar Smith High School. The boys were able to win, while the girls lost in a close 87-83 match. Nansemond River will swim against Great Bridge High School on Saturday.