T-L Photo/SETH STASKEY PICTURED ARE St. Clairsville's five state qualifiers. From left are Kylie McKeegan, Casadie DiBetta, Maggie Marody, Brenna Planey and Olivia Moyer. All told, the five Red Devils will swim in seven events at the OHSAA State Swimming Championship, which opens Thursday at 5 p.m.

ST. CLAIRSVILLE — The St. Clairsville girls swimming team enters this weekend’s annual OHSAA State Swimming and Diving Championship with all attributes needed for success.

The Red Devils’ version of ‘The Fab Five’ boasts experience and talent.

Both will be on display, starting Thursday at Branin Natatorium, which is located in the shadows of the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton.

Coach Ernie Banks’ squad — for the second straight winter — is sending an impressive delegation into Ohio’s final weekend of prep swimming. All told, the Red Devils will be entered in seven events, including two relays.

The meet begins at 5 p.m. on Thursday with qualifying heats and the top 16 times — in each event — will return on Friday to swim in either the A or B final.

All five members of St. C.’s delegation, which includes junior Maggie Marody, sophomores Casadie DiBetta, Kylie McKeegan, Breanna Planey and Olivia Moyer, have been to this level before.

The events in which they’ll compete are the 200 medley relay, 100 butterfly, 500 freestyle, 100 backstroke, 100 breaststroke and 400 freestyle relay.

DIBETTA leads the way for the Red Devils with a full complement of four events on her agenda.

Undefeated in the 100 breaststroke, DiBetta enters her specialty as the second seed with a blazing 1:03.08. The only swimmer she trails is Beloit West Branch’s Jamyson Robb, who edged DiBetta a season ago for the state championship.

“I am super excited (to be back in the state meet), but I am kind of nervous since last year went so well and everything seemed to line up right for me,” DiBetta said. “I am hoping to do the same or even better and drop my times some more.”

DiBetta, though expecting to see Robb again this weekend, hasn’t paid much attention to the time rankings or even the seeds throughout the season.

“I look at them, but I do not want to psyche myself out,” DiBetta admitted. “I know I am going to have to push myself and swim my best race. Plus, I don’t get caught up in times because pools are different. I know all of the girls are going to be super fast, so that’s exciting.”

Along with the breaststroke, DiBetta will also take part in the 100 butterfly. She garnered an at-large bid thanks to a 58.72, which ranks her 17th overall.

On top her individual events, she’ll also swim the breaststroke leg of the 200 medley relay to begin the St. C. meet. That team is seeded seventh with a 1:49.54. She’s also on the 400 free relay.

“We’re ranked better than we were (last year) in the relays, so we should do well in those,” DiBetta said.

MARODY, though, she didn’t qualify automatically in either of her events, she felt confident as she returned from Columbus last Wednesday that her 5:12.82 clocking in the 500 freestyle would be good enough to get her to Stark County for the third consecutive season.

She was 100 percent correct. Marody’s time, which was third in the district, is 14th overall.

“I look at the state rankings, throughout the season, and felt pretty strongly that I had made it (after the district) unless there were some huge time drops,” Marody said. “It’s exciting to be going back. The main goal is to drop time and place higher than I did my freshman year, which would mean finishing 14th or higher.”

Marody is battling her way through a bout with an illness, which has affected her times and training. Feeling much better, Marody is expecting to get back to the levels at which she was performing last month.

“I had a really good OVACs and with that huge time drop, it really helps my confidence,” Marody said. “It’s all about who can swim the fastest 20 laps this weekend. (Seed times) really don’t matter because, in the moment, some people fold or some people do really well under pressure.”

Along with the 500 free, Marody will also swim a leg on the 400 freestyle relay, which is seeded 18th at 3:45.32.

MOYER, like DiBetta, will take part in the maximum four events on Thursday. Along with swimming on the two relay teams, she also garnered an at-large berth in the 100 fly and 100 backstroke.

“It’s going to be interesting swimming individual events,” Moyer said. “I think if I manage my time right, get in the pool to warm up early enough, I’ll be fine.”

In the fly, Moyer is seeded one spot below DiBetta in 18th with a 59.06. In the backstroke, she’s sitting in 17th place with a 1:00.33 and finds herself just 65 hundredths of a second out of the 16th spot.

“I was hoping to make it in my two (individual) events, but I wasn’t expecting it,” Moyer continued. “I was kind of like if I make it … great! If not, that’s OK, too. Getting to go is just an awesome feeling.”

Moyer, actually, will be the first St. C. swimmer to hit the water. She will swim the backstroke in the medley relay to begin the race.

McKEEGAN, meanwhile, will swim the butterfly leg of the medley relay and on the 400 relay team.

She was part of the medley team last season, which reached the ‘B’ Final and this marks her first appearance in the 400 free relay.

“I am really excited,” McKeegan said. “It’s cool to be able to go back (to state) with experience under our belt. We all know what to expect and we’re really well prepared and just swimming a lot faster.”

McKeegan has certainly looked at the seed times and knows a spot on the podium, especially in the medley relay, is quite possible.

“Getting on that podium is the ultimate goal,” McKeegan said. “We’ve had some ups and downs this season, but overall, it’s been an awesome season. I am really proud of these girls and believe the hard work is going to pay off.”

PLANEY will be the fourth Red Devil to hit the water as she anchors the medley relay team with the freestyle.

She’ll also be on the 400 free relay team.

“I think we have a really, really good shot of getting on the podium, and that’s our goal,” Planey said. “We all know we have to (go all out) to get to that ‘A’ final.”

Planey admitted that the first day of state in 2019 was a little bit overwhelming, having never experienced it before.

“It’s a crazy meet to watch and be a part of,” Planey said. “Having the experience from last year should help us this time around.”