MILL CREEK — The Jackson girls swim team is off to a fast start.

The Timberwolves followed up their season-opening victory over Mountlake Terrace with a pair of impressive performances against Lake Stevens and Edmonds-Woodway last week.

Jackson edged Lake Stevens 86-84 in a non-conference dual meet on Sept. 12 and then easily dispatched Edmonds-Woodway, winning every event en route to a 123-43 rout on Sept. 14.

The squeaker over the Vikings definitely boosted the confidence of the young Wolfpack squad.

“It was just a really good way to start the season,” said Jackson head coach Drew Whorley. “Having a meet that competitive that early really provided some good exposure to a lot of the freshmen that we have, a lot of the freshmen that are already contributing … we saw a lot of great performances and there was just a great vibe and buzz on the deck that day. I think a lot of that carried over to Thursday (against Edmonds-Woodway).

“Many of (the girls) got to swim some different events and we still managed to look really good in the water and have a successful result.”

The Wolfpack added eight freshmen this season. Those freshmen and the rest of the team had to pull together to defeat Lake Stevens.

“It was pretty exciting,” senior Aubrea Knox said. “It’s fun to have close meets. You get more energy from everybody and everybody really wants to do their part.”

Many members of the freshman class come in with club swimming experience, so while they may be young, they have the talent to compete at the varsity level. The freshmen showed they can deal with the pressure of close meets.

“I’m very impressed with the team right now,” senior Jessica Samples said. “They (underclassmen) kind of pulled us through. They did a pretty amazing job. It was fun to see how they stepped up and handled it.”

Added Knox, “Even though they’re freshmen and young, they’re like veterans. They know how to race. They have the ability and the knowledge of how to actually perform.”

The freshmen also give Whorley some flexibility with his lineup. He is still trying to figure out the strengths of the team.

“We have so many different combinations,” he said.

In previous years, Whorley knew where to slot many of his top performers.

“A lot of these girls have the ability to do a number of different events and different strokes,” Whorley said. “It’s an exciting time for our program.”

One of the early standouts is freshman Alana Pazevic, who already has clocked in with state qualifying times in the 50 and 100 freestyles and the 100 backstroke.

“She’s got a lot of raw talent and has the right attitude,” Whorley said. “She’s a real competitor. She’s definitely going to be making an impact.”

Another early standout is Stephanie Ha, who placed sixth in the 100 butterfly at last year’s Class 4A state championships.

Ha’s determination should lead the junior standout back to the King County Aquatic Center. She has state times in the 100 backstroke and 200 individual medley.

“Stephanie has come in after a great summer of swimming,” Whorley said. “Stephanie has very high expectations of herself. That’s probably one of her greatest attributes.”

Senior Allison Litz is another top performer, who also is assuming a leadership role with the other seniors.

“All the seniors have done a good job this year with establishing themselves both in the water and out of the water as leaders,” Whorley said. “It makes my job a lot easier.”

Litz, Samples and Knox all have state meet experience.

The 200 medley relay team of Pazevic, Ashley Logan, Ha and Samples swam a state time during the Edmonds-Woodway meet.

“We have a lot of people who are going to state,” senior Erin Manning said.

With the freshmen talent, Samples expects the other two Jackson relays to be heard from by the end of the season.

“All of our relays are pretty solid,” she said. “We can spread everybody out.”