The Seymour swimming and diving team will kick off its 2021-22 season today when the Owls travel to Madison for a meet with the Cubs starting at 6 p.m.

Seymour is coming off a successful season in which the girls went 12-3 and the boys 12-2. The girls were third in the Hoosier Hills Conference while the boys were fifth, and the girls were also third in the sectional while the boys were fourth.

Maren McClure, one of Seymour’s seniors, is coming into this season as the defending sectional champion in the 100 butterfly in 1:01.61.

McClure was also part of Seymour’s record-breaking 400 free relay team last season along with Samantha Jacobi, Katya Cox and Sandy Cerino Rico. The team finished in a time of 3:43.67 to break the school record by over two seconds at the Floyd Central Sectional.

Cerino Rico is the lone Owl on that relay team who graduated, while the other three are all returning.

McClure and Jacobi are two of five seniors on the roster this upcoming season, along with Lillian Sunbury, Kaylynn Zarate and Ellen Zabor.

McClure is a 3-time most valuable swimmer for the Owls and looks to make a splash in her senior season. Cox will be key in the 200 free and 100 back this season, and Jacobi in the 50 and 100 free’s.

The lady Owls have 28 total swimmers and divers on the roster this season.

As for the boys, they have 16 on the roster with only two seniors in Will Cottrill and Clay Greenawalt.

Greenawalt stays busy in meets with the 200 and 500 free’s, IM and 100 butterfly.

Sophomore Pedro Cerino Rico was co-MVS last season for the Owls along with graduating senior Bryce Miller. Cerino Rico is fresh off a summer in which he earned a medal competing in a USA Swimming zone meet Aug. 7 and 8 in Elkhart.

Cerino Rico races in the 200, IM, 100 butterfly and 100 free for the Owls.

Other key swimmers on the boys side are Paul Montgomery (100 free, 100 back), Grant Smith (100 and 200 free’s) and Aaron Drake (50 and 100 free’s).

Both teams are led by head coach Dave Boggs and assistant coaches Dennis Bowers and Ann Fields.

Boggs is in his 38th year at Seymour and 45th year altogether after this winter season. He has coached 13 all-Americans and 54 academic all-Americans.

The Seymour boys team has an overall historical record of 331-149-1 and the girls 334-149-2. Together, the Owls’ swimming and diving program has an all-time winning percentage of 70.2

They’ll look to continue that success for another season this year, starting tonight at Madison before taking a week off and competing at Jeffersonville to close out the month of November.