Donnie Miller believes his Trojan girls team will show improvement.

A little more experience here, a little more depth there and an infusion of talented youth has Chambersburg girls swimming coach Donnie Miller smiling these days.

The season kicks off Thursday for the Trojans, who swim against Carlisle at 7 p.m. at Dickinson College.

“From the beginning of the season last year, I think we ended up with a better record (3-7, 2-5 Mid Penn Commonwealth) than I expected,” Miller said. “The girls developed well. And I’m seeing that same kind of thing this year.

“They are committed to being successful, and I think we have more promise because of the freshman class.”

The top returners for Chambersburg include seniors Bree Kratz and Kyleigh Ballard, and sophomores Maddie Kinton and Emily Stroble.

Kyleigh Ballard

Miller said, “Kyleigh will help in the sprints and Bree had a lot of big time drops in the IM and butterfly and came close to qualifying for districts.

“Maddie swam in the beginning of the year last season, but hurt her shoulder and missed the rest of the season. Ironically, she’s a sprinter for us, although she runs distance in track and cross country. She’ll help us and should be on the borderline for districts.

“Emily is doing a good job working on the fly and backstroke, plus some freestyle.”

A freshman class of five will give the team a boost, especially Audrey Kough (distance), Emma Grove (breaststroke, IM) and Olivia Terrazas (IM).

Emily Stroble

Miller said, “Those three have come up through the YMCA Charger (club) program. We haven’t had that many girls from the Y join our team in at least four years. It’s a nice change, and they can all swim any of the events.

“Terrazas is probably one of the top swimmers on the team. She works very hard in the water and I’m excited to see what kind of success she can have.”

The Trojans will also have one diver, sophomore Kavia Myers. Kratz, Ballard and Mercedes Montoya are the team captains.

Miller said, “I think we can match up with teams better because we have some depth, and we have better top-end speed. The girls are coming to practice with a great attitude and they want to get better.”