Shane Morrison will be the coach of two new Washington Community High School athletic teams.

Morrison, a third-grade teacher at Northmoor Edison Primary School in Peoria, will direct the Panthers’ first girls and boys swimming teams.

The girls’ fall season begins Sept. 4, while the boys’ first winter meet is Dec. 11.

As of mid-July, 17 girls and nine boys indicated an interest in being part of the WCHS swim program.

“I’m really happy with the numbers,” said Morrison, who added the boys’ level may grow as that season approaches. “I think they’ve come out pretty strong,”

The team will utilize the Aquatic Center at Five Points Washington.

Morrison said he hopes to garner hosting opportunities in the future at the pool that is less than a year old.

Over the summer, five-to-10 athletes consistently have shown up for optional workouts.

Morrison thinks the squads can be competitive right away with the strong backgrounds in the sport that many of the swimmers bring.

“I love to win. The first year I want to turn some heads,” said Morrison.

The timing of the coaching position opening was perfect, Morrison said. He just completed his master’s degree at Illinois State University and was enthusiastic to get a team of his own again.

After growing up in the northeast, Morrison graduated from Bradley University in 1997.

Staying in Central Illinois, he coached at Manual High School for two years and was a summer coach at Splashdown in East Peoria.

Morrison, who lives in Metamora, said he particularly enjoyed a recent four-year assistant-coaching stint at Notre Dame.

In his first year at Washington, Morrison has ambitions of getting individuals and a relay to the state meet.

Morrison desires to eventually have the Panther swim team mentioned in conversations as a strong unit.

“I want people to say, ‘That’s a strong swim program,’” said Morrison.

Morrison and his wife, Katie, have two young children.