Mars’ Riley Connelly swims in a meet last winter. She is one of several returning WPIAL qualifiers for the Planets. Eagle File Photo

You can't fault Kirby Burns for having high expectations for his Slippery Rock High girls swimming team this winter.

The Rockets return 10 District 10 Class 2A qualifiers and all four state meet qualifiers from last year's team that won a region title with a perfect 12-0 record.

"We are dealing with a couple of injuries at the start of the season, but if we get healthy, we should be very tough to beat in our region," Burns said. "We have 10 very solid swimmers and should do well."

The Rockets' swimmers looking to reach the state meet again are seniors Grace Olshanski and Natalie Double and sophomores Mollie Massella and Ann-Katherine Burns.

Olshanski is the defending district champion in the 50-yard freestyle. She earned the crown with a school-record time of 24.52 seconds.

"I want to keep progressing as much as I can," said Olshanski. "The 50 is such a fast event, you have to combine strength and everything in your technique has to be perfect to improve on a school-record time.

A portion of this article is shared as a digital media exclusive. Please support the Butler Eagle’s newsroom by subscribing at butlereagle.com.