St. Thomas Academy swimming: A few laps ahead

As St. Thomas Academy senior Sam Johanns goes through his repetitions at practice — lap after lap, back and forth, following the black line on the bottom of the school's swimming pool — he doesn't get bogged down by the monotony.

"It's easy to stay motivated," he said, speaking as much for his teammates as for himself.

Johanns, the Class 1A defending state champ in the 100-yard backstroke, said there's a very good reason the Cadets can remain focused and consistent year after year; all they have to do is look up for a reminder.

"Every day, those banners are hanging above us — the banners that run across the pool above us," he said. "We see those, and we want to be like [those teams]. We push each other to get it done."

Thirteen state championships in 20 years; that's the legacy the 2014-15 Cadets swimming and diving team hopes to continue. Consistency breeds consistency. Winning breeds winning.

At first glance, this season shouldn't be any different. As the Cadets opened practice Monday, they return a slew of swimmers from a team that won its third straight Class 1A title last winter. Their four senior captains — Johanns, Matt Ruzicka, Jon Najarian and Jake Pursley — set the foundation for a program that is easily among the best in the state, regardless of the sport.

But while coach John Barnes seems to be able to piece together championship teams with the efficiency of a production assembly line — an all-state backstroker here; a long-distance specialist there — he's quick to deflect praise, both for himself and any perceived system he has in place.

Ruzicka said it's difficult to explain the atmosphere around the Cadets team.

"For everything that we've won, the whole family aspect on the team, it's something that not a lot of other teams have," he said. "It's something really unique that you can't really understand unless you're on the team."

The Cadets don't cut. ("As long as they promise not to drown, I'll let them on the team," Barnes joked.) And everyone plays a role in the team's success, whether it's cheering from the deck during the state meet, anchoring a relay team or pushing a teammate in practice.

"What helps is that, as captains, it's not just one guy who's a standout leader," Najarian said. "We all try to work together and use our different traits and qualities to kind of fit all the needs of the young swimmers on the team."

Pursley echoed that sentiment: "You learn that it's a brotherhood," he said, "and we always have each other's backs."