Ethan Schwager is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Pinnacle High School for AZPreps365.com.

High school swimming is back in Arizona for the fall season, and so is the hunt for the Pinnacle Pioneers to win the prestigious PVUSD District Swim and Dive Invitational Meet on Oct. 15, a meet that Pinnacle assistant coach Troy Layman says neither the boys nor girls have lost since he has been on the coaching staff.

“If we get our lineups right,” Layman said “we could definitely repeat (as) district champs for the seventh year in a row.” 

On paper, Pinnacle is capable of competing against the best teams in the Paradise Valley District.

The boys team is led by Luca Gissendaner, a University of Southern California commit who is ranked as the No. 1 male senior swimmer in the state by Collegeswimming.com. Gissendaner has the third-fastest time by an Arizona swimmer in the 50-yard freestyle with a time of 21.65 seconds, trailing only Desert Vista’s Caleb Stanley and Gilbert’s Ryder Androsky. Gissendaner is currently the No. 1 breastroker in the state, swimming the 100-yard breaststroke at the Croswhite Invitational in 57.61 seconds.  

Other male swimmers to look out for include Benjamin Scott, Reagan Dresser and Lewis Esterly. Scott, Gissendaner, Dresser and Esterly make up the 200 medley relay team that is currently ranked second in the state with a time of 1:36:58. Pinnacle placed first at the 2020 AIA Division I state championship meet, with a time of 1:35.99. The only change from last year’s relay to this season is freshman Esterly swimming freestyle, replacing Aaron Rosen, who now swims at the University of Pennsylvania.

The girls team is led by SUNY Binghamton-committed swimmer Jordyn Spector, who is ranked the 17th-best female senior swimmer in the state by Collegeswimming.com. Spector is currently ranked sixth in the state in the 500-yard freestyle with a time of 5:10.35 at the Croswhite Invitational on Sept. 11.  

Spector is confident about the outlook of her team going into the bigger meets, such as the District Invitational. 

“I feel really good [about our team this season],” Spector said. “I feel with some good practices we’ll be up at the top.”

Spector’s teammates are already poised for a strong season in some of the relay events. The girls 200-yard medley relay team is currently seventh in the state, led by Margaret Esterly, Emmalee Swank, Elena Cowell and Zoe Drechsel swimming the event in a time of 1:53.81.

Girls swimming head coach Andrea Ditter believes in her team, but says that it may be a bit of a difficult season. 

“It’s going to be a challenging season for the girls, but they have the potential to do really well in several of their events,” Ditter said. “[Overall results are] going to come down to how the rest of the state looks.”

The girls 200-yard freestyle relay is going to be one that is expected to score a lot of points for Pinnacle at Districts. The relay consists of Esterly, Mikayla Knaffla, Kailah Dauderman and Drechsel. The 200-yard freestyle relay is currently fourth in the state with a time of 1:41.66, and within 4 seconds of the No. 1-ranked Red Mountain High School relay team at 1:38.28. 

The goal for the Pinnacle Pioneers is to once again win the District Invitational, and place well at state for both the boys and girls teams. There may be a few dual meets before the big competition, but all eyes are set on Moon Valley Country Club, the host pool of the PVUSD District Swim and Dive Invitational.