Unlike most other team sports, swimming is less about team wins than individual achievements.

That’s the way Ray VanHootegem is looking at the 2025 season, his 33rd and final season as head coach of the Galesburg High School swimming and diving team.

“As far as standings or anything like that, it’s mostly just concentrating on individual meets and working mainly on individual performances,” VanHootegem said. “But we do have some things to help motivate them too, like we have a GHS all-time list.

“Some of the girls know what it is because I give it to them every year at the end of the season. They’ll look at that and say, ‘Man, I’m going to make the list on this event.’”

Smaller roster than past years

One problem the coach has faced in his last year is a smaller roster than in past seasons.

“We’ve had anywhere between 15 and 18 swimmers the last five years,” he said. “Last year we had 12, and this year, we have 10.

“Now, we do have four other swimmers on the team, but they’re just beginners; they can’t do the events. We’re working with them to do the basics — the freestyle and maybe the backstroke this year — and go from there.”

The roster includes three seniors — Lily Furrow, Hayden Johnson and Maria Kamesa; three juniors — Lucia Crawford, Macie Nelson and Nora Phelps; three sophomores — Callie Caulkins, Isabelle Kennedy and Faith Warren; and five freshmen — Izzy Feehan, Kennedy Jackson, Carlato Macabau, Juliana Macaia and Camdyn Miller.

Having just 10 girls available to compete has had an impact, VanHootegem said, because for dual meets it takes 12 to be competitive, although only eight are needed for conference championships and sectionals.

“We’ll do OK at the end of the year,” he said, “but during dual meets, we can’t fill our lineup, so that’s frustrating, but we knew about that because that’s what it was like last year.”

Work in offseason pays off

Coming into this season, the coach said he was excited by the team’s offseason training.

“They know the importance of being ready when the season starts, so they can have a better opportunity for a lifetime best by the end of the year.”

This season VanHootegem has also liked the battles his swimmers have made for second- and third-place finishes in events.

“So far, my best swimmers in dual meets, they’ve won their events unless somebody on our own team beats them,” he said.

Individual standouts emerge

Individually, he cited the performances of Nora Phelps at the Macomb Invitational early in the season and Izzy Feehan, who came from behind both in her 200 freestyle and the B squad 400 freestyle relay to pull out wins. In those races, he noted, the crowd really got into cheering the swimmers on.

“I think if we could get that to happen more often, that would help us, not just when they’re close, but swimmers always cheering for their teammates.”

VanHootegem said that over the course of the regular season he is pushing his swimmers to continue improving by working to achieve their lifetime bests.

“It’s very tough for Lily, who’s gone to state three years in a row, to have a lifetime best until we get to the end of the year,” he said, “but the rest of the girls are having one about every meet. So, it’s very encouraging to see them step up.”

State hopes still alive

Two years ago, a Galesburg relay team qualified for state, and Furrow has gone to state in each of her three previous years.

“We’re hoping that one or two relays can make it in this year as well because we’re stronger than we were last year in our relays,” VanHootegem said, “and hopefully we’re more competitive to qualify for state.”