AUGUSTA — It’s a regular weeknight at the Kennebec Valley YMCA. The two pools near the back of the building are a jumbled mess of children taking swim lessons, parents chasing after them, and some adults simply enjoying some open pool time.

Then, passing by the traffic to the competition pool for practice, the best girls swim team in the area — maybe even the state — walks by.

It’s no exaggeration to say that the Cony girls swim team fits that bill. Not this season.

With the exception of a late December meet against Morse, Cony has dominated the pool, winning eight of its nine meets. In just their second meet of the season, the Rams defeated two-time defending Class A champion Brunswick, 101-75.

And Cony may be just hitting its stride as it enters the Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference Class A meet Saturday in Bath.

But the shot of confidence all started with the early season victory over the Dragons.

“To beat a team like that that’s been a dominant force for so long, it felt great,” sophomore Gabby Low said.

“We knew going into it Brunswick didn’t have the members they had last year,” senior Anne Guadalupi added. “We had a feeling it was going to be a close meet. But winning that meet gave us so much more confidence going into KVACs and we’re super excited.”

Low and Guadalupi are two of the Rams’ core five of swimmers — joining sophomore Talia Jorgensen, senior Molly Silsby and freshman Cecilia Guadalupi — that carry Cony into the postseason.

The Rams will bring an abundance of top seeds to the KVAC A meet. Anne Guadalupi is the top seed in the 200 free (2:00.49) and 500 free (5:23.25). Low is the top seed in the 100 butterfly (1:01.22) and 100 backstroke (1:00.92). Jorgensen holds the top seed in the 50 free (25.50) and the No. 2 seed in the 100 free (55.55). Silsby is the No. 4 seed in the 50 free (27.52) and the No. 2 seed in the 100 breaststroke (1:16.05). Cecilia Guadalupi is the No. 2 seed in the 200 individual medley and 100 backstroke.

Furthermore, Cony also boasts the highest seeds in the 200 medley and 200 free relays.

The Rams also have depth. Junior Tara Jorgensen (No. 5 seed in the 200 IM and 100 breaststroke), sophomore Leah Allee (No. 7 seed in 200 IM and 100 breaststroke) and junior Haley Gagne (No. 4 seed in 100 free) should also score well.

“This is the best girls team I have ever coached,” said Cony coach Jon Millett, who is in his 20th season. “They cover all eight events. In my mind, the four top girls will finish top three in every event they compete in in the state meet. I doubt there’s any team that’s going to do that at the state meet.”

Though swimming is often thought of as an individual sport, Cony knows it’s going to take a team effort to reach its ultimate goal.

“Knowing that we’re in it together helps it more,” Anne Guadalupi said. “We’re not swimming for ourselves. At that moment in time, we’re swimming for our teammates. We can pull so much more energy knowing that, and it will give us that last push that we need to finish to the wall.”

“A team can basically be like your second family; I see my teammates more than I see my actual family,” Low said. “Most of us have been friends for a really long time. I’ve known Talia for six years. I’ve known Anne for about eight.”

It’s also a team that not only can do well this season, but one that can put together several strong seasons for the foreseeable future.

“We still have two more years. We still have a chance to prove ourselves in other meets,” Talia Jorgensen said. “But it would definitely be awesome to finish some people’s senior years with a good meet and to win states.”

Though the Rams are the favorites in several events at the conference meet, they are lacking in one area: Divers. It’s an event in which Brunswick is stacked, which could play a role in determining the conference crown.

“The only thing that could hurt us at KVACs is diving because we don’t have diving,” Millett said. “At the state meet, diving will have less of an effect because there’s more teams that have it, and (points) are spread out. In our conference, Brunswick is the only Class A school that has diving, and they have a lot of them so it’s all free points for them.”

For all of the team’s success — and possible future success — Millett makes sure the team keeps its focus.

“Swim your event, do your job,” Millett said. “It’s kind of a Patriots mantra. The kids have worked hard at practice, as long as they remember what they learned in practice, we should do well. They just need to go in with the mindset that they can’t be beat.”

“(The message is) ‘Don’t get cocky,'” Low said. “We beat Brunswick once, (but) there’s no guarantee we can do it again. We still have to train just as hard. We still have to want it.”

Whatever happens Saturday, Cony will enter the Class A meet as the likely favorite, a different spot for the Rams, who have never won a state championship in girls swimming.

“It would mean the world to me, especially since this is my last year,” Anne Guadalupi said. “There’s that pressure on me, that really every senior has. To win the state meet would be such a great way to end the high school season.”

David Dyer — 621-5640

ddyer@centralmaine.com

Twitter: @Dave_Dyer

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