SHORELINE — Led by freshman diving dynamo Katrina Young, the Shorecrest girls swim and dive team looks forward to a strong season.

Young got enough practices in this week to become eligible after she finished 12th in platform diving in the 14-15-year-old age group last month at the 2006 FINA Junior Diving World Championships in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Now it’s back to one-meter diving for the high school season.

“I anticipate a lot from her,” said Shauna Kopischka, the dive coach for both Shorecrest and Shorewood. “She’s an incredible diver.”

Young has competed at the highest international level already so high school diving will be more about the experience and getting to know her teammates.

“It’s so important just as social and emotional growth,” Kopischka said.

Older sister Samantha, who is now diving for Cal-Berkeley, won state titles as a sophomore and junior until being dethroned by club teammate Jessie Snowden of Issaquah last year. Samantha hoped to break the 500 points barrier, a year after eclipsing a state meet points record that had stood for 30 years. Instead, Snowden broke her record. Katrina Young could compete with Snowden for the state title this year.

“Our goal is to win state,” Kopischka said. “She has a good chance.”

Whatever happens, it’s clear the next four years the Scots dive team will be among the elite as long as Young is around. Sophomore Claire Matsunami and three other freshmen make up the rest of the team.

“I’ve got a very young team,” Kopischka said.

Among the Scots swimmers, junior Aydan Sarikaya, a state participant last year, returns to swim the 200 and 500-yard freestyle and swam state qualifying times in both events on Sept. 14.

“I swam faster yesterday than I did at state last year,” Sarikaya said last Friday. “It can only get better.”

She finished 11th in the 500 freestyle and 16th in the 200 freestyle last year at state.

The Scots also have a promising freshman, Laura Millet, who swims the 100 butterfly and 100 freestyle, and could make state in the fly.

Sophomore Hannah Gwazdauskas swims the 200 individual medley and 100 backstroke, and has a shot at state in the backstroke. Freshman Danielle Good specializes in the freestyle events and freshman Claire Wickstrom competes in the 200 individual medley and 100 breaststroke. Senior co-captains Nicole Dodson and Nora Reikosky, along with sophomore Katie Goss and junior Clem Chalal, are also expected to contribute.

The 200 and 400 freestyle relays each have a shot at state.

“We will try to get there by time, which is a very realistic goal,” coach Bill Murray said.

Lauren Deiparine, who qualified for state in the 100 breaststroke and swam on the 200 medley and 400 freestyle relays at state, transferred to Mercer Island.

Forty-nine girls turned out for the Scots, including six divers, Murray said. That’s the first time in Murray’s four years at Shorecrest that the Scots have had more swimmers than Shorewood. Eighteen of the athletes are freshmen.

“We have a really young team to build on so that’s nice,” he said. “I’m just really jazzed about the turnout this year.”

A couple swimmers said the team is closer this year. Swimmers stick around to cheer on teammates for entire meets.

“We’ve turned an individual sport into a team sport,” Reikosky said.

Kamiak and Shorewood are the class of the Western Conference South Division with Shorecrest expected to be third. Murray believes the Scots can finish second at the 3A District 1 meet.