The Guilderville girls’ swim team has faced a lot of adversity this season, but Coach Walt Lane is in the midst of watching some great individual performances this season.

The team is dealing with losses, in the pool and personally, but 20 swimmers so far have qualified for the sectional swim meet that will take place at Rensselear Polytechnic Institute in November.
"That is far more than we’ve had before," Lane said at a recent practice. "This is the biggest group we’ll be taking to sectionals in a long time."

The Guilderville team has struggled to a 1-5 record after Tuesday’s loss to Saratoga Springs. But the girls on the Guilderville team experienced a bigger loss.

Their popular assistant coach, Edward Sayer, died on Oct. 5 after a long battle with cystic fibrosis.
"We all loved him," junior Stephanie Bintz said in a story that ran in last week’s Enterprise. "We all called him Ed...He’d tell us to do the hardest thing in the world, yet he’d make it fun. He’d encourage us."
"He was always very upbeat and happy," Katie Linehan said in the same story. "That was part of the reason we never knew how sick he was."
"I’m pleased with the way we’ve been working," Lane said. "I’m really proud with the way they handled the situation with Ed Sayer’s passing. The parents were a big help in keeping the kids calm. And Katie did an excellent job leading the team through that. That’s sort of her role, and she did a nice job."

The Guilderville team competed in a meet against Burnt Hills the day after Sayer died.

Linehan, a senior, has been on the team since the eighth grade and has competed in the state meet. She won the 50-yard freestyle last November at RPI.

Bintz also qualified for the state meet last year. She swam the 100-yard backstroke in 1:00.99 to finish fourth.
"Katie Linehan is looking good," Lane said of her performances this season. "She’s been strong in the 50 and 100. Stephanie Bintz has been strong in the back stroke."

A pair of divers are also having a good season for Guilderville.

Jill Malfetano and Toni Marie Whitbeck have both qualified for the sectionals.
"Jill’s been in the top five or six this season," Lane said. "Toni’s been diving solid all season...The two have the potential to go to states."

Lane said that Brittney Ginsburg has been good in the long-distance events. Erin Dewey has also done well in the longer swim races this season.

The relay teams are also in the top eight in the section.

Seniors help

Linehan is one of six seniors on the squad.

Jamie Glath, Bridgit Schultz, Kaitlin Jewell, Kaitlin Saba, and Malfetano are the other seniors on the team.
"All the seniors have done a nice job with helping with the things that we need to do," Lane said. "They are all great and all did well with leading the younger kids through that situation," he said of Sayer’s death.
"Each one has a different job to do," Lane added. "We spread them out. They all have had a piece of the action this season."

Lane said that the team has meshed very well this season despite having swimmers from Guilderland and Voorheesville high schools.
"The team has come together," the coach said. "There are no distractions. They are a team and they support each other equally. There are no school ties and no borders."

Lane has 33 swimmers and divers on the team; 34 started out the season. An eighth-grader broke her ankle and is out for the rest of the year.

Lane has seen improvement throughout the season from all his swimmers.
"Everybody’s improved a lot," he said. "They all have bettered their times from last year."