Before the season began, Whitehall's girls' swim team was expected to be among the elite in the East Penn Conference.

However, the boys' unit -mainly due to a lack of overall numbers - was expected to hit more valleys than peaks during the season.

Fortunately, the boys' squad already has registered three wins throughout the first half of the year, and they are expected to make further strides along the way. Head coach Pete Rile sees the remainder of their season on the upswing.

"We are all feeling pretty good about their season right now," said Rile. "We don't have a lot of returners, but these guys are looking pretty experienced out there. They have been very competitive and they have been lowering their times in the process.

"We have four boys who have qualified for districts, and we should have a few more if they continue the pace they are on right now. We have trouble staying with other teams due to our numbers and not having diving, but these guys have really made up the difference."

In a recent meet against Pocono Mountain West in which they dropped a 122-66 decision, the 400 freestyle relay team of Michael Haggerty, Anthony Fragnito, Aaron Sierra, and Felix Figueroa took top honors.

Haggerty also finished first in the 200 freestyle, while teammates Jordan Rivera was first in the 100 breaststroke and Jack Yadush led the pack in the 100 backstroke.

Fragnito, Figueroa, and Yadush are all returnees who have helped set the pace in the early going. Haggerty, Sierra, and Rivera all are off to solid starts and are expected to be regular contributors along the way.

On the girls' side, they defeated Pocono Mountain East, 111-58. Mina Feyrer and Alexus Merkert, both of whom have been at the state level, continue to pace the girls' squad.

Rile was optimistic his club could register their initial win over Emmaus Thursday night, as the Zephyrs have never beaten their neighbors to southwest.

"Emmaus is a very deep team and they look very good on paper," said Rile. "Their depth is their strength. But our girls can compete with anyone and they are among the elite in the league and the area. With the progress of our boys, I liked us going into this meet.

"We'll go at them and see what happens. Whatever the outcome, we have had a solid year."