Dynasties are rapidly becoming an endangered species in Maine high school swimming. Last year, it was the Mount Desert Island boys who saw their run of six consecutive Class B titles stopped by Greely. The Greely girls also interrupted Falmouth’s plans of regaining a stronghold.

Could the Bangor boys be next? The Rams have collected the last four Class A titles and 25 overall. The Morse girls, meanwhile, hope to make the decade’s dominant duo of Bangor and Cape Elizabeth into a trio.

Locally, Edward Little and Lewiston are both trying to make up for significant graduation losses on the boys side, while veteran talent makes their girls’ teams dangerous. In Class B, the fledgling St. Dom’s program continues to improve, and with a new coach, the Saints are looking to start a growth spurt.

Here’s a look at the Twin Cities’ swimming triumvirate:

Edward Little

The EL girls lost one regular season meet in 2009-10, and with a good mixture of veterans and underclassmen, the Red Eddies could improve on their fifth-place finish in the KVAC. Junior Melissa Paione is one of the top swimmers in the conference and will be a threat to win the state breaststroke title. Junior Hayley Barton and sophomores Rachel Gagne and Sam Goulette also qualified for the state meet last year. The boys graduated Tim Brodsky, one of the top all-around swimmers the school has had for a long time. Senior freestyler Kenny Treadwell and sophomore backstroker Andrew Paione highlight an otherwise untested squad.

Lewiston

Senior leadership and depth will carry the Blue Devil girls. Katie Tirabassi, a strong sprinter, Abby Blaisdell and Camille Dionne form a strong senior core. With plenty of talent evenly distributed among the lower grades, coach Tom Stocker expects the Devils to be a consistent threat all season. The boys graduated KVAC breaststroke champion Kurtis Stocker and a talented senior class, but the numbers are good for rebuilding and some of last year’s juniors, led by Colby Miles, may be ready to step into the limelight. Sophomores Dustin Morris and Alex Small, who qualified for states as freshmen, are proof the Devils could become a more competitive team with more experience.

St. Dom’s

The Saints continue to gain momentum as the area’s newest program. First-year coach Marc Robitaille, a former assistant, and Amy Rousseau, who coached KVAC power house Brunswick, hope to take the program to another level. While numbers are down slightly, senior Allie Lewandowski, a multi-event qualifier for states last year, should lead a large contingent of Saints to the Class B podium. Juniors Sarah Small, Emily Conner and freshman Ciara Ferguson could also be factors at the post-season meets. Junior Ryan Robitaille and senior Cody Leavitt lead the boys, with freshmen Michael Dempski and Stephen Lomaugh could enhance the Saints’ presence at the state championships.

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