Woodbridge Girls Win
Parker, Lindberg Shine
By Kevin Callahan
Special to The Washington Post
Sunday, February 14, 1999; Page V09
Amanda Van Horn won the 100-yard backstroke in an area-best 1 minute
0.05 seconds and took second in the 200 individual medley to lead the
Woodbridge girls to the team title at the Northwestern Region swimming
championships yesterday afternoon at Hargrave Military Academy in
Chatham, Va.
Van Horn, a junior, also competed on the Vikings' 200 and 400 freestyle
relay teams, which both won in the area's fastest times of the season.
Melanie Van Horn (500 freestyle) and Christy Cousins (50 freestyle)
contributed key second-place finishes for Woodbridge, which won the
team title with 285 total points. E.C. Glass was second with 272.
North Stafford sophomore Akemi Parker and Woodbridge junior
Christian Lindberg were the area's only double winners at the meet.
Parker won the 100 butterfly in an area-best and meet-record time of
58.37 seconds and captured the 200 IM in an area-best 2:10.61 to help
North Stafford's girls finish fourth overall. Lindberg set a new meet record
in the 50 freestyle (22.04) and won the 100 backstroke (54.47) to help
the Vikings boys finish fourth.
Justin Snyder won the 200 IM (area-best 2:02.13) and finished second in
the 100 backstroke (55.84) to help Osbourn (253 points) to a
second-place finish in the boys competition. Jason Woolard placed second
in the 100 butterfly (56.08) and Peter Waldron finished second in the 100
breaststroke (area-best 1:04.43) for the Eagles.
Cave Spring won the boys meet with 404.5 points, Brooke Point placed
third with 176 and North Stafford fifth with 164. Elizabeth Belch won the
50 freestyle (area-best 25.09) and finished second in the 100 freestyle to
help the Osbourn girls to a third-place team finish with 214 points.
Shannon Woolard added third-place finishes in the 50 freestyle (26.05)
and 100 butterfly (1:01.69), and Wesley Hollinger was third in the 500
freestyle (5:28.78) for the Eagles.
Osbourn Park's girls finished fifth overall on the strength of second-place
finishes by junior Tara Koff in the 200 freestyle (1:59.78) and the 100
breaststroke (1:10.16).
Other top finishers: Hylton senior Brett Gombar (third in 50 freestyle and
100 butterfly), North Stafford sophomore Ryan Gerwig (third in 100
freestyle and 100 breaststroke), and Stonewall's Kelly Urso and Ashley
Razo, third in the 100 butterfly and 100 backstroke, respectively.
Spartans' Boyle Has The Time Of His Life
By Kevin Callahan
Special to The Washington Post
Thursday, February 11, 1999; Page V16
Broad Run High School senior Matt Boyle has big goals for himself. He
was motivated to win an individual title at last weekend's Group AAA
Liberty District swimming championships after finishing second in two
events at last year's meet.
But when he beat a competitive field to win the 200-yard freestyle at
Spring Hill Recreation Center, Boyle was more impressed with his time
than with the actual victory.
Boyle's finish in 1 minute 47.13 seconds is his fastest time in the event. It is
only four seconds shy of the junior nationals qualifying time he has been
trying to achieve.
"Times from the district meet don't count toward junior nationals, but at
least now I know I can pull it off," said Boyle, whose previous best time in
the event was 1:48.30.
Boyle, who placed second in the 200 and 500 freestyles last year, did not
swim the 500 at this season's district meet because he had achieved a state
qualifying time (4:51.45) during the dual meet season. Instead, he swam
the 100 freestyle and placed third in an area-best time of 50.36 seconds.
Broad Run finished fifth as a team at the meet, with a total of 256.6 points.
The Spartans had one other individual winner in Mike Lubore, who
captured the 100 breaststroke in 1:07.80.
The top eight finishers from each event advance to Friday's and Saturday's
Northern Region meet at Oak Marr.
Ben Smith was fourth in both the 200 IM (2:12.90) and the 100 butterfly
(57.68) for Broad Run. Matt Detar swam his fastest time of the season to
finish sixth in the 100 butterfly (1:02.12). Dustin Smith placed sixth in the
100 breaststroke (1:12.35).
Park View finished eighth in the boys meet, with 101 points. Garrett Hols
and Andy Geuss placed seventh and eighth, respectively, in the 50
freestyle (24.82 and 25.15). Kyle Gallo was eighth in the 200 IM
(2:21.09).
In the Liberty District girls meet, Broad Run finished fourth with 172
points, and Park View was seventh with 128.
Stefani Lubore paced the Spartans with a pair of fourth-place finishes in
the 200 freestyle (2:01.78) and 100 backstroke (1:03.81). Sophie Doan
earned a third-place finish in the 100 butterfly (1:05.38) and took seventh
in the 200 IM (2:26.22).
Park View's Megan Stavish placed second in the 100 butterfly (1:02.52)
and finished fifth in the 100 backstroke (1:06.55).
The Potomac Falls boys and girls teams both finished eighth at the
Concorde District meet Friday and Saturday at Wakefield Park. Junior
Kurt Martine missed qualifying for the Northern Region meet by just .11
seconds, finishing the 100 butterfly in 57.54 seconds. Freshman Courtney
Mason placed 10th in the 100 backstroke (1:06.77) and 12th in the 200
IM (2:28.19), and sophomore Victoria Negrete was 13th in 100
breaststroke (1:18.13).
"Our swimmers achieved a lot of personal success this season," said
Potomac Falls Coach Jason Porter. "The program is definitely headed in
the right direction."
There Is a Swimming Hole
Student Interest, Turnout Are So Small That Many High
School Programs Can't Manage to Stay Afloat
By Josh Barr
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, February 10, 1999; Page M16
The Fairmont Heights High School swim team never spends a minute
practicing relay races. Coach Paul Sweet never has to worry about a bad
changeover or a false start. It's not because the Hornets' swimmers are
flawless--it's because the 1,100-student school does not have enough
swimmers to field a relay team of four boys or four girls.
Sweet, a retired military officer who teaches part time at the Capitol
Heights school, tries to recruit team members, but there is little interest in
the sport. Fairmont Heights is not the only school in this situation.
In its 13th season as a varsity sport, swimming remains barely a blip on the
winter sports radar screen. Most of the 20 public high schools in Prince
George's County are struggling to build swimming programs. Four schools
do not field teams at all; others have as few as two members. From a
coach's standpoint, the uphill battle is caused by two factors: race and
economics.
Some coaches said race is a factor when it comes to being successful
because there are few black role models in swimming. Other coaches said
economics and exposure to the sport are the biggest reasons some schools
are more successful than others.
"We have a lot of kids that compete in competitive swimming for the first
time in high school," said Gary King, the county's coordinator of varsity
swimming. "Even if they haven't been swimming since they were six years
old, they have an opportunity to come out and compete on the high school
level fresh in ninth grade."
Potomac recently arrived at a meet with just two girls and no boys.
Friendly Athletic Director Pat Harris-Paxson said she attended a meet this
season at which her team had two swimmers.
"There are certain sports you have a minority concentration in and certain
sports you don't," she said. "It is hard to get athletes to cross that line and
try something different."
Because teams are so small, one key to having a successful swim team in
the county is to have more swimmers than your opponent--the top four
finishers in each race receive points toward the team total.
Historically, swimming in this country has been dominated by whites.
Eleanor Roosevelt and Bowie have the two best teams in the county and
also have the highest enrollment of white students.
According to figures compiled by the school system for the 1997-98
school year, Roosevelt and Bowie had 87 and 62 swimmers, respectively.
Roosevelt's team had 6 Asians, 10 blacks and 71 whites; Bowie had 2
Asians, 3 blacks and 57 whites. By contrast, only 14.5 percent of the
county's 35,809 students this academic year are white.
Outreach on National LevelWhile swimming is struggling to catch on in the
county, trying to increase participation among minorities has become an
emphasis for USA Swimming, organization spokesman Charlie Snyder
said. USA Swimming has formed an outreach committee and annually
brings minority groups to its headquarters in Colorado Springs for training
sessions.
"We see [minorities] as an area of untapped potential," Snyder said.
Others in the county are not as optimistic.
"A lot of black kids don't know about swim teams because there are no
swim teams in the neighborhood," Largo Coach Stephanie Thomas said.
"There are basketball courts and now there are tennis courts, but there is
no knowledge of summer swim teams."
That leaves coaches at many schools patrolling the hallways in search of
prospective swimmers. Finding students who know how to swim is not the
problem, coaches said; finding ones willing to be on the team is next to
impossible.
"Me, personally, at a predominantly black school, it's hard," said Thomas,
"because the ladies want their hair to look nice and the boys have issues
about the suit. . . . I've had so many conversations with girls about their
hair."
At a recent practice of the Fairmont Heights and Largo teams at Prince
George's Community College, every boy was wearing swim trunks. Largo
senior Jarrett Jackson said he knew of some classmates who might come
out for the team if not for the trunks.
"People don't want to get in the little bikini shorts," he said. "They are
scared they might get laughed at."
Barely Recognized If appearance is not a problem, swimmers receive little,
if any, recognition in school.
"Nobody cares," said Fairmont Heights senior Onuan Akhigbe, who was
the only boy on his team at the end of last season.
Said Thomas: "We compete with basketball and indoor track. And a lot of
black kids run track and play basketball. Some of those all-around athletes
are going to those other, high-profile sports."
"It is what you see on TV," said Bladensburg Athletic Director Sherry
Unger, whose school does not have a swim team. "During the Olympics,
swimming is big. But is it big any other time? Football and basketball are
always there."
At Central, another school that does not field a team, Athletic Director Ed
Bowie said he has tried for three years, without success, to find a coach.
"A swimming meet is not like a softball game that takes two hours," Bowie
said, adding that meets can often run several hours.
Bowie said although the search for a coach would be more problematic,
only one student responded when Bowie tried to determine how many
students were interested in forming a team.
"It hasn't been that big of a deal," Bowie said. "It would bother me if we
had a large student response that demanded a swim team."
Of Time and Money
Other obstacles swim teams face are limited practice time and a lack of
county-provided transportation--no school has its own pool. The county
arranges for each team to practice three hours per week at PGCC in
Largo, the Allentown Road Fitness Center in Temple Hills or Fairland
Regional Park in Laurel. But that is all each team is permitted to practice
because the cost of renting pool time is prohibitive.
"That's not enough time," Bowie Coach Patty Bayly said. "But that's all we
have."
Students also are required to find their own transportation to the pool. For
some schools, such as Largo, that is not a problem because the school is
adjacent to PGCC and students can walk from school to the pool. But for
others, it is often a 15- to 20-minute drive. Also, practice is not always
right after school. Laurel, for example, practices from 6:30 to 8 p.m. twice
a week.
Said Northwestern Athletic Director Joe Girardi: "If we all had our own
pools, I'll bet you'd see a difference in numbers."
The low turnout at most schools means coaches tolerate students missing
practice because teams need as many swimmers as possible. Thomas said
she has had students miss practice because of dance teams and
after-school jobs, among other reasons. Last week, Sweet had just four of
his six swimmers attend practice. He said he thought one of the absentees
was sick, but did not know where the other one was.
One student who benefited from the lack of swimmers was Largo junior
Eugene Lott, who came out for the team last week, more than two-thirds
of the way through the season. Lott said schoolwork prevented him from
joining the team sooner and that he was using swimming as a way to stay in
shape for football. He said this is the first time he joined a swim team.
Of the lack of teammates, he said, "I'm very surprised."
3 Loudoun Swimming Programs Could Be
in Jeopardy
By Camille Powell
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, February 7, 1999; Page V12
The future of the swimming programs at three Loudoun County high
schools could be in question if the county School Board does not approve
a petition from the schools for swimming to become a fully funded varsity
sport.
Broad Run, Park View and Potomac Falls high schools have begun the
process of petitioning the School Board for more money to support their
swimming programs. The future of the programs could be in danger
without additional funding, according to the schools' athletic directors.
"We have to wait and see what happens. The only thing to say is that time
will tell," Broad Run Athletic Director Joe Fleming said. "Right now, our
goal is to get funding for the swim teams. If we don't get the funding, we
will have to reevaluate. I don't know how we could do it right without
funding."
The School Board provides each school with $1,000 to help fund the
swim teams; that money helps pay a coach's stipend and team
transportation costs. The swim teams raise money to cover other costs.
"The point of trying to get the sport funded is to provide it with some
certainty," Fleming said. "At this point, swimming has been very successful
at the three schools in the eastern part of the county."
Broad Run, Park View and Potomac Falls -- the only high schools in the
county with swim teams -- will move from Group AAA to AA competition
in all sport in the fall. Approximately 40 AA schools will field swim teams
next year, according to Larry Johnson, an assistant director with the
Virginia High School League. Next school year also will be the first time
the VHSL will sponsor a AA state meet. Group AAA is the only
classification that currently has a state championship meet.
In addition to Broad Run, Park View and Potomac Falls, Loudoun County
and Loudoun Valley high school athletic teams will compete in the
Northwestern District along with Liberty, Handley and Warren County.
Winchester's Handley High is currently the only Northwestern District
school that has a swim team. "We're looking at having a schedule with the
three county schools [with swim teams] plus Handley. That would give us
four teams in the district, so we would have a Northwestern District meet,"
Park View Athletic Director Dave Hembach said. "We're also trying to be
part of the [Group AAA] Northern Region scheduling during the regular
season, but there is a cost factor that will need to be addressed."
If the county schools participate in the Northern Region, they will have to
split the costs of pool rentals with the other schools in the region. The
county schools are waiting to find out how much that would cost before
making a decision.
The Loudoun County swim coaches are waiting, too. "We don't know yet
what's going to happen next year," Potomac Falls swim coach Donna
Kelly said. "We want to still have swimming at the AA level."
Hylton Boys Take Home the Title
Big Day for Parker
By Kevin Callahan
Special to The Washington Post
Sunday, February 7, 1999; Page V09
Hylton boys swimmer Brett Gombar finished second in his two individual
events at Friday's Cardinal District swimming meet. But the senior took
home the one thing that he felt mattered most.
"I let Brett take home the trophy," said Hylton Coach Kim Sterling, whose
boys team won its first district title, holding off a late surge by Osbourn to
win, 395-386.
"Then all of the other boys started saying, 'I want to sleep with it the next
night,' " Sterling said. "As long as it ends up in the trophy case at Hylton
sometime next week, that will be fine."
Hylton's boys team finished in last place at the district meet when Gombar
was a freshman and finished second to Woodbridge the past two years.
The Vikings, who finished fourth, had won seven straight district
championships and had never lost a dual meet until this season.
"We knew it was going to be close, but we felt very confident that we
were going to win this year," Gombar said. "Even though I finished second
in my events, I got a lot of points for the team, and that is what mattered."
The Bulldogs placed three swimmers in the top eight of both the 200
freestyle and 200 individual medley to jump to the front of the scoring.
Gombar placed second in the 200 IM (2 minutes 8.98 seconds) and led
the 100 freestyle race until the final turn, after which he was passed by
Woodbridge's Christian Lindberg, who went on to win in a state-qualifying
and area-best time of 49.56 seconds.
Osbourn made a late surge by winning the 200 freestyle relay and taking
the top three places in the 100 breaststroke, which freshman Peter
Waldron swam in an area-best 1:04.67. The Eagles also won the final
event, the 400 freestyle relay, but by stacking the freestyle events, Hylton
had enough points to hang on.
"Osbourn sort of scared us, but we just pushed a little harder," Gombar
said.
Lindberg also won the 100 backstroke in a state-qualifying 54.92 seconds.
Osbourn's Justin Snyder was the only other double winner (200 IM, 500
freestyle).
Cardinal District Girls
Behind typically strong performances from sisters Amanda and Melanie
Van Horn, the Woodbridge girls captured their seventh district title in eight
years with 411 points.
Amanda, a junior, won both the 200 IM and 100 backstroke. Melanie, a
freshman, won the 500 freestyle and placed third in the 200 freestyle.
Christy Cousins won the 100 freestyle in an area-best time of 55.97
seconds.
Osbourn Park junior Tara Koff won the 200 freestyle in an area-best and
state-qualifying time of 1:59.51, and won the 100 breaststroke in her
second-fastest time of the season. Stonewall Jackson's Ashley Razo won
the 100 butterfly in a state-qualifying time of 1:00.02.
Commonwealth District
Sophomore Akemi Parker broke a pair of meet records she set last year
and swam on two winning relays Friday as North Stafford won its first
district title with a total of 173.50 points.
Stafford, the two-time defending champion, finished second with 140
points.
Parker captured the 200 IM by nearly 15 seconds in a state-qualifying and
area-best time of 2:12.56. She won the 100 butterfly by almost eight
seconds, in state-qualifying and area-best time of 59.69 seconds. She
finished third in both events at last year's state meet.
The Brooke Point boys (132 points) also captured their first district title,
beating defending champion Stafford and North Stafford, who tied for
second with 113 points.
Bowie Girls End Dual-Meet Streak
By Kevin Callahan
Special to The Washington Post
Sunday, February 7, 1999; Page D13
The girls who swim on Bowie's 400-yard freestyle relay team -- freshmen
Julie Lilly and Valerie Bernstein, junior Tricia Dennis and sophomore
Ashley Roark -- agreed they would rather not have known that the
Bulldogs led Eleanor Roosevelt by one point heading into the final event of
yesterday's dual meet at Prince George's Community College.
But Bowie Coach Patty Baily felt otherwise, excitedly telling them the
score just before their race. The foursome shook off the added pressure to
win the relay by less than one second, and Bowie became the first team to
defeat Roosevelt in dual-meet competition with an 86.5-83.5 victory.
"I have such confidence in [the relay team] that I knew they could handle
it," Baily said. "Our kids started to realize that [the Raiders] were the ones
who were under pressure, not us."
Roosevelt, helped by double event winners Linneah Riedlinger and Perla
Antoniak, held a nine-point lead after winning the 200 freestyle relay. But
Roark and Lilly finished first and second, respectively, in the 100
backstroke, and junior Lindsey Mathers beat Roosevelt's Casey Connor
by three-tenths of a second to win the 100 breaststroke and set the stage
for the final event.
Baily "came up to us and said we were up by one, and we were like,
'Okay, no pressure,' as our hearts were pounding," Dennis said. "It is
easier to swim when you don't know the score, because you don't think
about it and make yourself more scared or nervous."
Bowie (5-0) swam even with Roosevelt (4-1) through the first three legs.
Baily had decided Friday to use Roark in the anchor leg, and Roark
responded. She took a slight lead over Antoniak with 10 meters to go and
held on to win in 3:42.56. Roosevelt's time was 3:43.10.
Roosevelt's dual-meet winning streak dated from 1986-87, the first season
swimming was a varsity sport in the county. It does not include five meets
the Raiders girls forfeited in 1990 for using an ineligible swimmer, however.
Note: Todd Hutchinson and David Gold won two events apiece to ensure
that the Roosevelt boys' 12-year county winning streak continued with a
115-52 victory over Bowie.
EVENT WINNERS
Girls
200 medley relay: Bowie, 1:56.83; 200 freestyle: Linneah Riedlinger, E.
Roosevelt, 1:58.25; 200 IM: Ashley Roark, Bowie, 2:14.52; 50 freestyle:
Perla Antoniak, E. Roosevelt, 25.33; 100 butterfly: Kathryn Gold, E.
Roosevelt, 1:01.44; 100 freestyle: Antoniak, E. Roosevelt, 55.53; 500
freestyle: Riedlinger, E. Roosevelt, 5:12.95; 200 freestyle relay: E.
Roosevelt, 1:45.28; 100 backstroke: Roark, Bowie, 1:03.00; 100
breaststroke: Lindsey Mathers, Bowie, 1:11.00; 400 freestyle relay:
Bowie, 3:42.56.
Boys
200 medley relay: E. Roosevelt, 1:51.66; 200 freestyle: David Gold, E.
Roosevelt, 1:53.47; 200 IM: Adam Chen, E. Roosevelt, 2:14.67; 50
freestyle: Kris Santos, E. Roosevelt, 23.68; 100 butterfly: Todd
Hutchinson, E. Roosevelt, 57.89; 100 freestyle: Gold, E. Roosevelt,
51.50; 500 freestyle: Hutchinson, E. Roosevelt, 4:56.69; 200 freestyle
relay: E. Roosevelt, 1:39.89; 100 backstroke: Daniel Barnes, Bowie,
1:05.23; 100 breaststroke: Jerrel Jones, E. Roosevelt, 1:14.47; 400
freestyle relay: E. Roosevelt, 3:39.15.
Commemorating Achievement, Recognizing
Excellence
Swimmer's Pursuit Largely Unknown Among Classmates
By Camille Powell
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, February 4, 1999; Page V10
By the time senior Mary Dabkowski arrives at Loudoun Valley High
School at 8:30 on a typical morning, she has been awake for nearly five
hours. She has spent one hour in the car and two hours in the pool -- and
her day is just beginning.
Such is life for a competitive swimmer. Dabkowski, 17, trains nearly 20
hours a week with the Ashburn Village Swim Team (AVST), a United
States Swimming team.
"I've been swimming since I was 8, and it's become such a big part of my
life. If I didn't swim, I don't know what I would do," Dabkowski said.
"Swimming is my life. All the swimmers I know are that way; they're totally
into it. You can't do this sport halfway."
Dabkowski is not alone in what she does. Five others compete in the
AVST senior group, which is the only age group in which swimmers have
both early morning and afternoon training. But Dabkowski, unlike the
others in her group, does not compete for a high school team. Broad Run,
Park View and Potomac Falls are the only high schools in Loudoun
County that offer swim teams.
Dabkowski often wishes Loudoun Valley had a swim team. It can be hard,
after all, to work so hard, to devote so much time and to excel at
something -- only to have no one know about it.
"Everyone has that one thing that they're good at and that they can do for
their school. People who play volleyball or football have other people at
the school who do the same thing as them," Dabkowski said. "I don't have
anyone else at my school to go through what I go through with me. Barely
anyone even knows that I swim."
Or the commitment she makes. Dabkowski wakes up at 3:30 a.m. during
the week because she has practice at 4:45, and it takes 30 minutes to drive
to the Ashburn Village Sports Pavilion from her Round Hill home. Three
times a week, she heads back to Ashburn right after school for another
two-hour practice at 4 p.m. On those nights, she doesn't return home until
after 7 p.m.
This goes on year-round. Dabkowski said her schedule worsens in the
summer, even without school. Then, she runs from practice in the morning
to her lifeguarding job back to practice in the afternoon.
But fall is probably the most difficult season for Dabkowski, because she
has to balance her swimming commitments with cheerleading. This past fall,
she was co-captain of the Vikings' varsity cheerleaders, and some nights
she wouldn't get home from cheering at a game until 11 -- and she still
would have to wake up early for swimming.
"You get used to being tired," Dabkowski said. You also find ways to fight
through the fatigue. Vitamins and Power Bars keep Dabkowski's energy
level up during the school day. Occasionally, she'll go to the nurse's office
for a quick nap.
"The hardest thing is that this is my senior year, and I'm not able to go out
with my friends as much as I'd like," Dabkowski said.
But Dabkowski also said the trade-off is worth it. Her hard work has paid
off in records -- she holds a number of AVST team records, mainly in her
strongest events, the 200 breaststroke and the 200 and 400 individual
medleys -- and interest from colleges. She plans on swimming for a
Division I school, hopefully on scholarship. She has made an official visit to
West Virginia University, and she plans to make trips to Auburn and
Florida State.
"You just have to remember through all the training that the sacrifices are
worth it," Dabkowski said. "Our coach is always telling us to think about
what it'll feel like, six weeks from now, when we step up on the blocks to
race at senior championships. That's what you work for."
Burek Meets Challenge, Shatters Freestyle
Mark
By Angie Watts
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, February 4, 1999; Page M10
Before Saturday's meet against Calvert, Northern High School sophomore
Jeff Burek pleaded with swim coach Kandy Spain to be allowed to
compete in something other than his usual events, the 100 butterfly and the
500 freestyle. Spain consented, under one condition: Burek first had to go
out and break the school record in the 500 -- in what would be just his
second time competing in the distance event.
It turned out to be no problem.
Burek, who already owns the school record in the 100 fly at 1 minute 2.04
seconds, set another by taking more than 23 seconds off of his 500
freestyle time to finish in 6:06.03. His reward was a spot in the 100 free,
where he placed second to teammate Chris Parsons -- who is the team's
top 100 free and 200 individual medley swimmer.
"Jeff has been able to do anything we've asked of him this year," said
Spain, whose teams swept every event against Calvert. "I knew the first
time he swam the 500 and came in at 6:30 he was going to break another
school record; it was just a matter of time."
The boys team (3-1) also has received impressive times from junior Greg
Milne in the 50 free, sophomore Michael Baddour in the backstroke and
freshmen Bryan Freimuth and Andrew Morrison in the 100 breaststroke.
The Patriots' girls team (4-0) is led by senior Brenna Hogan, who turned in
a personal-best time of 1:13 in the 100 fly Saturday, junior Blake
Harahush (200 IM, 100 breast), sophomore Emily Ross (50 and 100 free)
and freshmen Kristin Booros (50 free, 100 back) and Christine Mazzella
(200 and 500 free).
"It just seems to all be falling into place this year," Spain said. "We have
seniors coming in second and third place consistently, but we also have
freshmen and sophomores who are taking first."
CALVERT
Thanks to sophomore Nick Grigsby, the Cavalier boys are solid in the 50
free and 200 IM. What they lack is a consistent backstroker.
"The past two years, we've spent most of our time working just on
strokes," said Coach Tina Tulio, whose boys team is off to a 2-2 start.
"And to some extent, with the new kids and in certain specific areas, we're
still having to do that. But what has been great this season is also being
able to focus not so much on instruction, but on getting times down."
Calvert's girls team (3-1) is led by Maya Breitburg-Smith (500 free),
Shannon Baker (backstroke) and Barbara Warner (breaststroke), and
looks to benefit from the return of junior Katie Barron, who has missed the
past two meets with an injured back.
PATUXENT
Records may matter to some, but to Coach Maureen Cassidy, who started
the swim program at Patuxent last season, they are trivial.
"Those records really don't reflect how good they are," said Cassidy,
whose girls and boys teams are 1-3 and 0-4, respectively. "It is just
amazing how they've grown in one year's time."
Leading the way for the girls -- who lost to Westlake by two points and to
Northern by 16 -- are sophomore Sarah Burkhart in the 200 free (2:32)
and the 500 free (7:02) and junior Sarah Jones in the 50 free (29.26) and
the 100 free (1:04.8).
The top all-around boys swimmer, sophomore Patrick Chan, competes in
the 100 back (1:07), the 100 fly (1:04), the 100 free (:54) and the 200
free (2:00).
Sophomore David Burkhart is the team's leading 200 IM (2:52) and 500
free (7:22) competitor.
WESTLAKE
Westlake Coach Joe Belanger knows he can't go to a swim meet
empty-handed. As fast as these Wolverines' break records, a pencil is a
necessary commodity.
"I have four boys that just have outstanding records," Belanger said,
referring to seniors Michael Belanger, Adam Brown and Seth Halsey and
junior Josh Smith. "The sad thing, at least for me, is that three of the four
are seniors. But they are determined to go out in a blaze of glory."
The girls team (3-1) suffered its only loss of the season to league-leading
Northern by three points.
Versatile seniors Katie Dunleavy and Kim Hampton lead the Wolverines,
and own quite a few school records of their own.
Dunleavy excels in the 100 back (1:13.50), the 200 free (2:16.02) and the
500 free (5:42.25). Hampton leads the team in the 100 free (1:03.00), the
100 breast (1:16.32) and the 200 IM (2:31.02).
High Water Marks
Four boys have vaulted the Westlake boys swimming team into first place
in the league with a perfect 4-0 mark. Together, they own eight school and
SMAC records.
Swimmer Event(s) Time
Senior Michael Belanger 200 IM 2:28.88
Senior Adam Brown 100 Free 52.67
100 Breast 1:07.43
Senior Seth Halsey 100 Fly 56.27
100 Back 1:02.01
500 Free 5:10.69
Junior Josh Smith 50 Free 24.81
200 Free 2:13.59
Van Horns Keep Vikings Swim Team Afloat
Brooke Point Boys Set Pace
By Kevin Callahan and Will Kuhns
Special to The Washington Post
Wednesday, February 3, 1999; Page V06
Amanda and Melanie Van Horn follow the same routine every weekday
morning. The sisters get up at 4:05, and Amanda drives them to the Chinn
Center for a 90-minute swimming practice with their national training team,
the Occoquan Wahoos. When practice ends at 6:15, they head to class at
Woodbridge High School. After school, they lift weights and do aerobic
exercises with Occoquan or practice with the Woodbridge swim team.
As Vikings, the Van Horns will try to continue another pattern that has
become almost routine. They will look to lead the Woodbridge girls to
their seventh victory in eight years at the Cardinal District swimming
championships (Friday, 5 p.m., Chinn Center).
The Vikings' only loss came in 1997, when Amanda was a freshman. The
junior hopes her younger sister, a freshman, can avoid a similar fate.
"There is no way we would survive without each other," Amanda said.
They entered competitive swimming together at the ages of 9 and 7 after
watching a friend compete. "We thought it looked fun, and we have been
loving it ever since."
Melanie, one of a host of talented freshmen to join the team this year,
enjoys the advantage of swimming with her older sister. "She helps give me
a little more courage and tells me what to expect at meets."
Amanda and Melanie expect continued success at the district meet. They
helped Woodbridge to a 6-0 dual-meet season. Amanda has the area's
fastest times in the 200-yard individual medley (2 minutes 14.34 seconds)
and the 100 backstroke (1:00.32), the events she will swim at the district
meet.
Melanie, who will swim the 200 and 500 freestyles, owns the area's
second-fastest time in the 200 (2:01.96), and will join Amanda on
Woodbridge's 400 freestyle relay team, which has posted an area-best
time of 3:52.78. The duo also rotates on Woodbridge's 200 medley and
200 free relay teams, also ranked No. 1 in the area.
"They are two of the nicest girls and have great work ethic," Woodbridge
Coach Nancy Doggett said. "They are both pretty quiet about their talent,
and they are really good friends, which as sisters is pretty neat to see."
Like the girls, Woodbridge's boys have dominated the district meet of late,
winning it seven straight years. The Vikings boys, who had not lost a dual
meet before this season, struggled to a 3-3 regular season record. They
hope to offset their lack of depth with strong individual performers like
junior Christian Lindberg, who holds the area's fastest time in five events
and is expected to swim the 100 freestyle and the 100 backstroke at the
district meet.
Hylton's boys team went undefeated during the regular season for the first
time in school history, and it has lots of depth behind senior Brett Gombar
and freshmen Jesse Way and Russell Wood. Osbourn, whose only
dual-meet loss came against Hylton, boasts junior Justin Snyder, who
owns the area's best times in the 200 IM and the 500 freestyle. Gar-Field,
led by junior Matthew Miller, also dropped only one dual meet this season
-- against Hylton.
Osbourn Park's Tara Koff will be one of the girl swimmers to watch. The
junior swam area-bests in three freestyle events and in the breaststroke
during the dual-meet season. Stonewall Jackson's Ashley Razo and Kelly
Urso and Osbourn's Shannon Woolard are among the other girls who will
compete for individual titles.
Commonwealth Swimming
The Brooke Point boys completed a perfect 6-0 dual-meet season. Senior
Andrew Bond, juniors Tommy Cregan and Aaron Capizzi, and freshman
Josh Murphy have combined to swim the area's best 200 freestyle and
400 freestyle relay times (1:33.82 and 3:31.16, respectively). Cregan (200
IM, freestyles), who is among the top three area performers in three
events, Murphy (backstroke), Capizzi (butterfly) and Bond (freestyles) are
capable of winning individual titles. The meet is Friday at Woodlands, with
girls swimming at 3 p.m. and boys at 6.
Stafford, which won last year's district meet, lost to Brooke Point by 16
points this season. The Indians will need strong performances from
sophomores Ryan Chewning (backstroke) and Mark Crosnicker
(freestyles) to defend their title.
Stafford's girls are two-time defending district champions but lost to North
Stafford during the dual-meet season. Junior Lesley Wall (breaststroke)
and sophomore Michelle Atkinson (butterfly) will be among the Indians
swimming for the "three-peat," while North Stafford's trio of Akemi
Parker, Katie Hiles and Annie Martz will try to duplicate their regular
season success.