SLIPPERY ROCK — The Slippery Rock Eels have been ... pardon the pun ... electrifying this season.

The community-based swim team, for youths ages 5-18, has 70 swimmers on its roster after beginning the season with 40. It has a new head coach in Tim O'Toole and has qualified two swimmers — Natalie Carlantonio, 12, and Emma Plank, 13 — to the Eastern Zone Championships in Webster, N.Y., later this month.

“It's a fairly young team,” O'Toole said. “The bulk of the roster is ages 9-13. We only have one senior, Alyssa Rea (Slippery Rock High School).

“We have a couple of kids from New Castle, a couple from Grove City, but the bulk of these kids are from Slippery Rock.”

O'Toole has previously coached at the Butler County Family YMCA, Blackhawk Club and Knoch High School. He had been out of coaching, taking care of his ailing father, when the Eels came calling.

“They had an opening and asked me to come up for an interview,” O'Toole said. “I'm still taking care of my father, but the Slippery Rock organization has been willing to work around my schedule.

“So far, it's all worked out.”

While the Eels have proven beneficial to O'Toole, his expertise has proven beneficial to them as well.

“He's definitely improved our swimmers' endurance,” said Robin Plank, Emma's mother. “Before, we didn't have the ability to effectively finish races late in the season.

“We struggled to get into the finals and had trouble improving our times. He started our swimmers on aerobic training and it's made a difference.”

Emma Plank qualified for the Eastern Zone Championship in the 50 and 100-yard freestyle. Carlantonio got there in the 200-yard free style and 100-yard back stroke.

While the Slippery Rock Eels have been around for decades, it's been years since the program has sent two swimmers to the Eastern Zone competition.

“This is a significant achievement ... They achieved this over hundreds of swimmers in the Pittsburgh region,” Eels team secretary and Natalie's mother, Laura Carlantonio, said.

O'Toole isn't surprised by the success of either swimmer.

“Natalie is about 5-foot-8, very tall for her age,” he said. “She is athletic and has excellent technique in the water.

“Emma is a workhorse type of kid. She takes direction well and is driven to succeed, very goal-oriented.”

Plank and Carlantonio are two of seven registered USA swimmers in the Slippery Rock program. The others are Natalie Double, Kaitlin Novak, Rea, Kelly Somora, Anna Plank and Cora Plank.

Mrs. Plank has four daughters who swim in the program.

“They get so much structure and enjoyment out of it,” she said. “This is their sport.”

The Eels compete locally through the Western Central Pennsylvania Swim League and offer USA Swimming through the Allegheny Mountain division.

“Natalie's been swimming since she was 7,” Carlantonio said. “This is the first year she's qualified for the zone.

“This (Eels) program has been around since the 1970's. I swam on the team as a child. Now it's really growing.”

The swimmers have been giving back to the community as well.

The Eels have done community service projects, including collecting donations to the local food cupboard, raising funds for the community library, collecting donations for Butler hospital patients undergoing cancer treatment and collecting money for Lutherlyn's new swimming pool.

“Local businesses help fund scholarships to our program to help families who couldn't afford to participate otherwise,” Plank said. “The generous outpouring we've received from the community ... There was a need to give back.

“We wanted the kids to learn and experience the importance of giving back, so we got involved in these programs.”

The Eels practice and compete in the pool at Slippery Rock University's Morrow Field House. They practice from 5 to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday, 7:30 to 9 a.m. on Saturdays.

“We pay to rent the pool and the kids are dedicated to a busy practice schedule,” Carlantonio said. “And the results show.”