After setting two school records by swimming a pair of area-best times in
the preliminary heats of the 50 and 100-yard freestyle events, DeMatha
senior Nnamnse Ammons went home and shaved his head before last
night's finals of the 35th annual Washington Metros Swimming & Diving
Championships at Montgomery Aquatics Center in Rockville.
"He is trying to get that extra edge," said DeMatha Coach Tom
Krawczewicz, who after advising Ammons to do so, went home and
shaved his head as well.
Ammons was rubbing his coach's head in celebration after accomplishing
his goal of breaking the 21-second barrier in the 50 freestyle with a
winning time of 20.96 seconds. He was less pleased with his time in the
100 freestyle, but still prevailed over what he felt was probably the most
competitive field in his events in meet history, winning in 47.09.
Paul VI senior Justin Caron, O'Connell senior Devin Crock and Ireton
senior Dan Zurowski, who broke a nine-year-old meet record in the 500
freestyle, were also double winners.
The meet featured swimmers from 60 Washington area private schools and
Maryland and D.C. public schools. Caron, who was named the meet's
outstanding swimmer, defended his title in the 200 IM and took first in the
100 breaststroke after placing third last year -- the last time he lost a high
school race.
Junior Katie Brown won the 100 breaststroke for the third straight year to
help the Good Counsel girls capture their third consecutive championship
with 295 points. Boys
Team Results: 1, Paul VI 309; 2, Good Counsel 228; 3, DeMatha 188; 4,
Georgetown Prep 167; 5, Sherwood 138.
200 Medley Relay -- Paul VI (Denis Brosnan, Kevin Furlong, Drew
Crowder, Nathan Delpino), 1:38.87; 200 Freestyle -- Dan Zurowski,
Ireton, 1:43.72; 200 IM -- Justin Caron, Paul VI, 1:54.36; 50 Freestyle --
Nnamnse Ammons, DeMatha, 20.96; One-Meter Diving -- Adam Hazes,
Churchill, 521.05; 100 Butterfly -- Devin Crock, O'Connell, 50.47; 100
Freestyle -- Ammons, 47.09; 500 Freestyle -- Zurowski, 4:35.04; 200
Freestyle Relay -- Paul VI, 1:26.57 (Caron, Jeff Williams, Delpino, Mike
Nicholas); 100 Backstroke -- Crock, 51.81; 400 Freestyle Relay -- Paul
VI (Nicholas, Williams, Joe Tan, Caron), 3:15.21.
Girls
Team Results: 1, Good Counsel 295; 2, Sidwell Friends 248; 3, O'Connell
209; 4, Paul VI 151; 5, Sherwood 133.
200 Medley Relay -- O'Connell (Ashley Fimian, Rachael Schaffner, Diana
Winings, Kelly Burke), 1:38.87; 200 Freestyle -- Jessica Brosch, Stone
Ridge, 1:52.03; 200 IM -- Melissa Bartlett, Sherwood, 2:05.28; 50
Freestyle -- Meredith Stoever, Urbana, 24.31; One-Meter Diving --
Regan Gosnell, Holton-Arms, 441.35; 100 Butterfly -- Brosch, 56.58;
100 Freestyle -- Stoever, 52.75; 500 Freestyle -- Molly Freedman,
Sidwell Friends, 4:51.90; 200 Freestyle Relay -- Good Counsel (Chrissy
Anderson, Kim Green, Sarah Eynon, Rachael Burke), 1:39.69; 100
Backstroke -- Lauren Smith, Holy Cross, 58.85; 400 Freestyle Relay --
Good Counsel (Green, Anderson, Burke, Brown), 3:37.36
When the alarm sounds at 5 a.m., Matt Zuiderhof's first instinct is to roll
over and go back to sleep.
"Getting up at 5 a.m. hurts," said the McDonough High School senior, "but
I do it."
That's because his second instinct is to be at the indoor pool at Charles
County Community College in half an hour for the early-morning training
sessions that were initiated this swim season.
"All of the kids hate them. Matt definitely hates them," said Dave Martin, a
former swimmer at the University of Pittsburgh who took over as head
coach for the Chesapeake Bay Aquatic Club this year. "But he also knows
what it has done for him and his times in the pool."
The big test will come the week of March 21 at the Junior National
Championships in St. Louis, where Zuiderhof qualified to compete in the
50-, 100-, 200- and 500-meter freestyle events. This marks the first time
he has qualified for junior nationals, a meet that unites the region's top
swimmers ages 19 and younger. The United States is divided into three
regions; Zuiderhof will compete in the Southeast Region in an attempt to
advance to the Senior National Championships, to be held later this year in
New York.
"Senior Nationals is where the best swimmers, the world record holders,
go," said Zuiderhof, who for the past two years has been named Maryland
Swimmer of the Year by the Maryland Swimming Board, which is part of
United States Swimming, the national governing body of the sport. "My
goal at juniors is just to qualify in any of the four events for senior nationals.
Believe me, that is a high enough goal in itself."
To qualify for junior nationals in the 200 free -- Zuiderhof's best event --
he needed a time of 1 minute 43 seconds. To advance to the senior
nationals he would need a 1:39. The lanky 6-foot-2 Zuiderhof currently
swims the 200 free in 1:41.
"Dropping two more seconds is not going to be easy, but it's not
impossible either," Zuiderhof said. "I've been practicing hard. I'd say my
strength is my consistency in training."
Zuiderhof practices nine times a week: four one-hour morning sessions and
every day after school for two more hours. It has paid off. In November
Zuiderhof committed to attend the University of Wisconsin-Madison next
fall on a two-thirds athletic scholarship that will be reevaluated every year.
With a 4.3 grade-point average and a score of more than 1500 on the
SAT, Zuiderhof said he chose Wisconsin as much for its academic
reputation in biochemistry as its Big 10 Conference affiliation. And he did it
despite the fact that, of the five Charles County high schools, McDonough
is one of three that does not have a swim team. (Thomas Stone and
Westlake compete with teams from Calvert County in the newly formed
Southern Maryland Conference.)
"For a swimmer of his caliber, the only thing not being on a high school
team means is that he hasn't had that team experience," said Martin, who is
also the head coach at Thomas Stone. "But in the pool it's all about the
individual, and Matt is both driven and dedicated. Really, it even goes
beyond that. . . . He's been a star swimmer since he was a little boy, so
that's what he continues to expect from himself."
Quiet and somewhat introverted, Zuiderhof also has a quick wit and is
described by CBAC teammate and best friend Seth Halsey as the type of
guy who, away from swimming, is always happy and who, in the pool, is
always intense.
"I've been racing against him for almost a decade now," said Halsey, who
is a standout on the Westlake swim team that went undefeated this year,
"and he always wins."
Virginia held off a strong charge by Florida State yesterday and went on to
capture the Atlantic Coast Conference men's swimming and diving
championship in College Park, ending North Carolina's six-year
stranglehold on the conference title. The Cavaliers won with 704 points,
edging the Seminoles by 6 1/2 points.
The Cavaliers swept the top three positions in the 1,650-yard freestyle,
with Austin Ramirez winning the event for the third straight year with a time
of 15 minutes 10.15 seconds, a time that qualifies him for the NCAA
championships. Virginia's Ed Moses won the 200 breaststroke in an
ACC-record time of 1:57.37.
Maryland finished sixth with 315 points. Terrapins sophomore Kevin
Burke successfully defended his three-meter diving championship with
585.75 points.
JESSICA BROSCH
STONE RIDGE
Class: Sophomore
Sport: Swimming
Highlights: Has top times among D.C. and private school swimmers in five
events and has top time in 200-meter freestyle (1 minute 52.8 seconds),
50 freestyle (24.74 seconds), 100 butterfly (57.94) and 100 freestyle
(52.67).
Notable: Qualified for the Olympic trials in the 100 butterfly after
swimming the event in 1 minute 2.67 seconds at the Junior National trials in
Clovis, Calif., this past summer.
Personal: Has a 3.75 grade-point average. Volunteers with SOME (So
Others May Eat), where she helps prepare and serve meals to people in
need. Likes to draw and read in spare time. Favorite class is English. Said
the biggest adjustment to attending the all-girls Bethesda private school
was being apart from her twin brother Den, a sophomore at Eleanor
Roosevelt. "We are pretty much best friends, and it was tough being apart
at first," she said.
Westlake High School swim coach Joe Belanger inserted his swimmers'
times into a computer program before last Saturday's Southern Maryland
Conference Tournament. It predicted his girls team would win by 12 points
and his boys team by about 20 points.
In this case, high tech aimed too low.
The Wolverines' girls team wound up winning by 37 points en route to its
second straight title, and the boys won by 24 points over last year's
champs, Northern, in the six-team meet at Allentown swim center in Prince
George's County. The Patriots also placed second in the girls meet, behind
strong finishes by Brenna Hogan (second in the 100 butterfly) and
Christine Mazzella (second in the 500 freestyle).
"Today, we got more than what we hoped for," Belanger said. "A big
factor was all the seniors on the team. . . . Westlake wanted the
conference banner up in the gym. The seniors were out there swimming for
the team, not for themselves."
The Westlake boys won first place in eight of the 11 events. Josh Smith
won the 50 free (24.19) and 200 free (2:10.19), Seth Halsey won the 100
fly (57.00) and the 500 free (5:18.02), Adam Brown captured the 100
backstroke (1:01.97) and Michael Belanger won the 100 breaststroke
(1:12.86).
On the girls side, Westlake's Katie Dunleavy won the 100fly and 500 free,
and senior Brooke Pierce won the 100 and 200 free.
For Pierce, it was her first time swimming the 200 free all season. She
usually swims the 200 IM and occasionally the 100 free. Belanger told
Pierce of his plans just a week ago, which gave her little time. Not that she
protested.
"I was relieved," Pierce said. "I thought it would be easier than swimming
the 200 IM -- that's kind of long. I never swam it before. I didn't expect to
beat everybody."
Smith also had a surprisingly successful day at the SMC championships
after suffering through a static first two months of the season.
"I wasn't real happy with my times," said Smith, who has a lanky
swimmer's build at 6-foot-2. "I worked harder in practice. This is the first
time I ever went to a big meet and improved on my times. I was swimming
all year, and I'm finally getting to the point where I'm not tired. I peaked at
the right time."
BOYS
1, Westlake, 147; 2, Northern, 123; 3, Meade, 85; 4, Patuxent, 64; 5,
Thomas Stone, 41; 6, Calvert, 34.
200 medley relay: 1, Westlake, 1:51.92; 2, Meade, 2:02.03; 3, Northern,
2:12.91. 200 free: 1, Josh Smith, Westlake, 2:10.19; 2, Aaron Stafford,
Meade, 2:22.29; 3, Greg Brobst, Northern, 2:24.51. 200 IM: 1, Patrick
Chan, Patuxent, 2:16.70; 2, Michael Belanger, Westlake, 2:29.66; 3,
Chris Parsons, Northern, 2:33.47. 50 free: 1, Smith, Westlake, 24.19; 2,
Robert Dutton, Meade, 24.27; 3, Scott Lohman, Thomas Stone, 24.66;
100 fly: 1, Seth Halsey, Westlake, 57.00; 2, Jeff Burek, Northern,
1:03.59; 3, Mike Baddour, Northern, 1:14.98. 100 free: 1, Chan,
Patuxent, 53.18; 2, Adam Brown, Westlake, 53.41; 3, Lohman, Thomas
Stone, 55.67. 500 free: 1, Halsey, Westlake, 5:18.02; 2, Derik Holley,
Westlake, 5:49.75; 3, Burek, Northern, 5:54.78. 200 free relay: 1,
Northern, 1:41.62; 2, Meade, 1:44.93; 3, Patuxent, 1:49.99. 100 back: 1,
Brown, Westlake, 1:01.97; 2, Holley, Westlake, 1:10.56; 3, Brian Myers,
Calvert, 1:13.34. 100 breast: 1, Belanger, Westlake, 1:12.86; 2, Bryan
Freimuth, Northern, 1:17.91; 3, Eugene Robey, Westlake, 1:18.37. 400
free relay: 1, Westlake, 3:36.89; 2, Northern, 3:57.50; 3, Patuxent,
4:22.50.
GIRLS
1, Westlake, 134; 2, Northern, 97; 3, Patuxent, 95; 4, Thomas Stone, 70;
5, Calvert, 56; 6, Meade, 48.
200 medley: 1, Westlake, 2:10.58; 2, Thomas Stone, 2:14.81; 3,
Northern, 2:15.03. 200 free: 1, Brooke Pierce, Westlake, 2:25.99; 2,
Sarah Burkhart, Patuxent, 2:28.58; 3, Christine Mazzella, Northern,
2:32.41. 200 IM: 1, Diana Rhoades, Thomas Stone, 2:22.33; 2, Kim
Hampton, Westlake, 2:27.72; 3, Blake Harahush, Northern, 2:46.53. 50
free: 1, Laura Finley, Thomas Stone, 28.53; 2, Kristen Booros, Northern,
28.66; 3, Katie Barron, Calvert, 28.76. 100 fly: 1, Katie Dunleavy,
Westlake, 1:04.99; 2, Brenna Hogan, Northern, 1:15.07; 3, Laura Fuller,
Meade, 1:19.66. 100 free: 1, Pierce, Westlake, 1:03.53; 2, Sarah Jones,
Patuxent, 1:04.55; 3, Beth Sarber, Meade, 1:06.05. 500 free: 1,
Dunleavy, Westlake, 5:39.34; 2, Mazzella, Northern, 7:00.68; 3,
Burkhart, Patuxent, 7:02.31. 200 free relay: 1, Westlake, 2:00.53; 2,
Northern, 2:00.78; 3, Patuxent, 2:03.51. 100 back: 1, Finley, Thomas
Stone, 1:11.41; 2, Anna Joy, Patuxent, 1:13.00; 3, Booros, Northern,
1:18.62. 100 breast: 1, Rhoades, Thomas Stone, 1:13.91; 2, Hampton,
Westlake, 1:15.19; 3, Barbara Warner, Calvert, 1:21.45. 400 free relay:
1, Westlake, 4:14.91; 2, Patuxent, 4:33.15; 3, Thomas Stone, 4:45.96.
Woodbridge junior Amanda Van Horn was the area's top individual
point-getter at last weekend's Virginia AAA swimming championships. She
placed fourth in the 100 backstroke (1 minute 0.66 seconds) and fifth in
the 200 individual medley (2:14.10) to help the Vikings girls finish sixth
overall, their highest team finish.
Osbourn led area boys teams with a 17th-place finish. Brooke Point's
boys finished 19th, and Woodbridge tied for 20th. Among other area girls
teams, North Stafford finished 12th, and Stonewall Jackson and Osbourn
Park tied for 20th.
Osbourn Park junior Tara Koff entered the AAA meet hoping for higher
finishes than last year, when she was fifth in the 200 freestyle and 11th in
the 100 breaststroke. This year, she placed fourth in the 200 individual
medley (2:12.12) and sixth in the 500 freestyle (5:14.64).
Woodbridge junior Christian Lindberg also improved over last year, when
he finished eighth in the 50 freestyle and did not make the finals of the 100
backstroke. Saturday, Lindberg placed fifth in the backstroke (53.62) and
sixth in the 50 freestyle (22.18). He had been undefeated before the meet.
"I was hoping to do a little better today," Lindberg said. "If I had swam my
best times, I would have placed better, but I am still satisfied.
The only other area boys swimmer to reach the finals was Brooke Point
junior Tom Cregan, who finished eighth in the 200 freestyle in 1:49.23, his
fastest time this season by more than a second.
North Stafford sophomore Akemi Parker was unbeaten entering the
weekend but struggled in Friday's preliminaries after suffering an ankle
injury in gym class Thursday. She managed to make Saturday's finals of the
100 butterfly and placed fifth in 58.99 seconds. Her time of 2:10.99 won
the consolation heat of the 200 IM and was the fourth-fastest time overall
in the event. But Parker had to settle for ninth place because her
preliminary time, which was six seconds slower, failed to qualify her for the
championship heat.
Stonewall Jackson Coach Khristy Gilmer said Ashley Razo and Kelly
Urso, both freshmen, were a bit intimidated entering their first state meet
despite their strong performances at the previous weekend's Northwestern
Region meet.
"They were both saying: 'Wow, these girls are so fast. We aren't even
going to make the top 16,' " Gilmer said.
But both did by swimming personal-best times in both of their events. Razo
finished fourth in the 100 butterfly (58.83) and won the consolation heat of
the 100 backstroke to finish ninth overall. Urso reached the finals of the
100 backstroke, placing eighth in 1:01.44, and finished 11th in the 200
freestyle.
Flu symptoms kept South Lakes senior Greg Long and Langley
sophomore Lindsey Ertter from achieving their goals at last weekend's
Virginia AAA Northern Region championships. But the pair met all of their
expectations yesterday, leading their schools to team titles at the Virginia
Group AAA swimming and diving championships at Chinn Aquatics
Center in Woodbridge.
Long bounced back from a bout with bronchitis that had him home in bed
while his teammates defended the Reston school's regional title last week.
He won two individual events and swam on the winning 200- and
400-yard freestyle relay teams to lead South Lakes to its first state title.
The Seahawks, who finished in second place the past two years, won with
286.50 total points.
Ertter, who has had flu the past three weeks, broke meet records in the
200 IM and 100 breaststroke and swam on the winning 200 medley and
200 freestyle relay teams that also set new meet records, as Langley
captured its second straight state title with 328 points. West Springfield
placed second with 152 points and W.T. Woodson finished third with
130.
"I had no idea how I would do because I have been feeling up-and-down
all week," said Long. "I had to swim today. We have had our sights set on
this all along. I couldn't let it slip away."
South Lakes senior Marc Severin and junior Adam Orton were also
double winners. Orton swam an all-American time of 50.12 seconds to
win the 100 butterfly and set another meet record of 51.76 seconds to
take first in the 100 backstroke. Severin cruised to victories in the 100 and
200 freestyles before joining Long, Orton, and senior Chris Staten on the
Seahawks' 400 freestyle relay team that achieved all-American status with
a time of 3:08.23, winning by more than nine seconds. Long broke the
meet record Severin set last year in the 200 individual medley with a time
of 1:53.73. He missed breaking the 500 freestyle meet record he set last
year by .22 seconds, winning in 4:39.97.
Ertter became an all-American in the 100 breaststroke with her winning
time of 1:03.65.
"These last few weeks have been a struggle for me, so I really wanted to
do was come out here and win and get some points for the team," Ertter
said. "I don't have a [102-degree temperature] anymore. I still have dizzy
spells and headaches sometimes, but they don't last very long."
Ertter and sophomore Nicole Somers, who set a meet record to win the
500 freestyle and placed second in the 200 freestyle, helped Langley set
meet records in all three relay events. The Saxons' other relay competitors
were juniors Lauren Cornet and Katie Kuga and sophomores Monica
Kriso and Rachel Shipp, all of whom placed in the top eight in at least one
individual event.
Team Results
Boys
1, South Lakes, 286.50; 2, Menchville, 218.50; 3, Frank Cox, 139; 4,
Cave Spring, 124; 5, Madison, 122.
Girls
1, Langley, 328; 2, West Springfield, 152; 3, W.T. Woodson, 130; 4,
Centreville, 127; 5, Kempville, 110.
Event Winners
Boys
200 Medley Relay -- Menchville, 1:38.72.200; Freestyle -- Marc Severin,
South Lakes, 1:42.72.200 IM -- Greg Long, South Lakes, 1:53.73.50
Freestyle -- Matt Morrisette, Frank Cox, 21.69.100 Butterfly -- Adam
Orton, South Lakes, 50.12.100 Freestyle -- Severin, South Lakes,
46.96.500; Freestyle -- Long, South Lakes, 4:39.97.200; Freestyle Relay
-- South Lakes, 1:27.70.100; Backstroke -- Orton, South Lakes,
51.76.100; Breaststroke -- Conrad Mapp, Frank Cox, 59.00.400;
Freestyle Relay -- South Lakes, 3:08.23; One-Meter Diving; Stephen
Krebs, W.T. Woodson, 495.50.
Girls
200 Medley Relay -- Langley, 1:50.01200; Freestyle -- Allyson Hamilton,
W. Springfield, 1:53.30.200; IM -- Lindsey Ertter, Langley, 2:07.95.50;
Freestyle -- Laura Ullrich, Centreville, 24.44.100; Butterfly -- Cynthia
Roller, Herndon, 56.21.100; Freestyle -- Marshi Smith, W.T. Woodson,
53.31.500; Freestyle -- Nicole Somers, Langley, 5:00.50.200; Freestyle
Relay -- Langley, 1:39.95.100; Backstroke -- Smith, W.T. Woodson,
57.48.100; Breaststroke -- Ertter, Langley, 1:03.65.400; Freestyle Relay
-- Langley, 3:39.16; One-Meter Diving -- Amber O'Reilly, Hayfield,
481.00.
Kristen Booros and Christine Mazzella were a little surprised when
Northern High School swim coach Kandy Spain abruptly removed the two
freshmen from their usual events to place them in others earlier this season.
Even more unexpected was how well both of them have done since.
"They have really made a big difference," said Spain, whose girls team --
undefeated throughout the dual meet season -- will seek its second league
title in three years at the Southern Maryland Conference championships,
which will be held Saturday at 5 p.m. at Allentown.
Booros was expected to be competitive in the 50-yard freestyle, in which
she went undefeated during the dual meet season and posted a time of
28.10 seconds that stands as Southern Maryland's fastest this year. Her
success in the 100 backstroke, an event she rarely swam prior to this
season but has won the past two meets, was less anticipated. Spain saw
promise when Booros would swim the stroke in practice and felt the
Patriots, thin in that event, could benefit more from her there than in her
usual second event, the 100 freestyle.
"I just trusted that Ms. Spain had a reason for putting me in the
backstroke," Booros said. "I came into the season expecting to swim any
event in order to help the team."
Mazzella also made individual sacrifices in order to better balance
Northern's lineup. She swam the 50 freestyle with Booros at the beginning
of the season, and did not expect to become the Patriots' distance
specialist. She always found the 500 freestyle to be "boring. All you do is
swim back and forth, back and forth for such a long time," she said.
But Spain again had an eye for potential and inserted Mazzella in the event
the past two meets. Mazzella responded by winning the race both times.
She has lost only twice in her other event, the 200 freestyle.
"I always thought I was a sprinter," said Mazzella, who has the area's
third-fastest 200 and 500 freestyle times. "I didn't expect all of these firsts"
in distance events.
Both Booros and Mazzella hope to claim more first-place finishes on
Saturday, but they anticipate strong competition from swimmers at
Westlake, a team the Patriots (5-0) edged by three points in a dual meet.
Northern's girls won the inaugural SMC meet in 1997, but finished second
to the Wolverines last year.
Westlake senior Katie Dunleavy holds the area's fastest times in the 200
freestyle, 500 freestyle and 100 butterfly, and is expected to swim the
latter two events on Saturday. Junior Kim Hampton is the top seed in the
100 breaststroke and is currently second in the league in the 200 individual
medley. Erin Antoinen, Melanie Hart and Brooke Pierce are also expected
to contribute for the Wolverines (4-1).
Joining Booros and Mazzella as the Patriots' other top swimmers are
senior Brenna Hogan (100 butterfly), sophomore Emily Ross (100
freestyle) and junior Blake Harahush (200 IM, 100 breaststroke), who has
competed in every meet despite battling mononucleosis throughout the
season.
The Northern and Westlake boys teams also have traded SMC meet titles,
with the Wolverines winning two years ago and Northern taking first last
season.
This season, the Wolverine boys (5-0) won all of their dual meets by more
than 35 points and have four swimmers who combined to set eight new
school and seven SMC records. Senior Adam Brown has broken three --
in the 100 backstroke, 100 breaststroke and 100 freestyle. He won the
latter two events at last year's SMC meet to capture co-MVP honors with
classmate Seth Halsey, who has set new school records in the 100
butterfly and 500 freestyle this season. Junior Josh Smith (50 and 200
freestyles) and senior Michael Belanger (200 IM) are Westlake's other
record breakers.
Thomas Stone's Scott Lohman set a new league record in the 50 freestyle
this season. Lohman, along with Patuxent sophomore Patrick Chan and
Northern's trio of Jeff Burek, Chris Parsons, and Greg Milne, appear to be
the biggest threats to the Wolverine swimmers.
The girls meet is expected to be more wide open. Calvert, led by Barbara
Warner (100 breaststroke) and Shannon Baker (100 backstroke), finished
the dual meet season 3-2. Patuxent, which lost to Westlake by only two
points and Northern by 16, is led by Sarah Jones, Sarah Burkhart and
Anna Joy.
Thomas Stone's Diana Rhodes owns the area's fastest times in the 200 IM
and 100 backstroke. Laura Finley, who is ranked among the top three in
Southern Maryland in three different events, also should compete for an
individual title on Saturday.
Swimmers Honored
Paul VI senior Justin Caron and Good Counsel freshman Rachel Burke
were named National Catholic Swimmers of the Year following their
performances at last weekend's National Catholic Swimming
Championships at Villanova University.
Caron won the 200-yard individual medley in 1 minute 55.09 seconds and
the 100 breaststroke in 58.07 seconds. He also competed on Paul VI's
winning 200 and 400 freestyle relay teams. The Fairfax school finished
second to LaSalle (Pa.) in the team standings.
The Good Counsel girls won the team title behind Burke's victories in the
200 freestyle (1:54.95) and 500 freestyle (meet-record 4:56.93). She also
swam on the Falcons' winning 200 and 400 freestyle relays. Junior Katie
Brown won the 200 IM and 100 breaststroke for the Wheaton school.
Special correspondents Greg Brice and Kevin Callahan contributed to this
report.
Park View High School sophomore Megan Stavish has spent the past two
years as one of the top swimmers for two first-year high school swimming
programs. Last weekend, Stavish achieved an individual first by qualifying
for the Group AAA state swimming championships, which begin tomorrow
at Woodbridge's Chinn Center.
Stavish placed fourth in the 100-yard butterfly in a time of 1 minute 1.34
seconds at last weekend's Northern Region meet at Oak Marr Recreation
Center. At regionals last year, when she competed for Potomac Falls,
Stavish was not among the top eight finishers in the event and did not
advance to the state meet.
Last fall, Stavish transferred to Park View, the only school in the Liberty
District without a varsity swimming team before beginning its program this
season. She has become the Patriots' first and only state qualifier.
"We were hoping she would swim a state-qualifying time earlier in the
season, so she is really excited now that she gets to go to states," said Park
View Coach Kim Snyder. "She is real enthusiastic, and she works hard."
Broad Run's Matt Boyle advanced to the state meet in two events. The
senior finished second in the 500 freestyle in 4:51.64, his second-fastest
time of the season. Chris Bassler of Jefferson won the race in 4:46.06.
Boyle also placed fourth in the 200 freestyle in a personal-best 1:46.81,
the fastest time by a Loudoun County swimmer in that event this season.
Stefani Lubore was Broad Run's other state qualifier. Although she did not
place among the top eight in the 200 freestyle, finishing ninth in a time of
1:59.07, the sophomore swam fast enough to beat the automatic
state-qualifying cut of 2:00.06. Lubore nearly pulled off the same feat in the
500 freestyle, finishing ninth once again in 5:21.51, less than three seconds
off the state's automatic qualifying time.
Among other area competitors, Broad Run's Matt Detar finished 15th in
the boys 100 butterfly, and the Spartans' Sophie Doan was 15th in the girls
100 butterfly.
Broad Run's boys finished 21st out of 30 schools with 34 points, and Park
View was 25th. Broad Run's girls were 22nd with 20 points, one place
ahead of Park View.
After losing a dual meet to a county opponent for the first time since
swimming became a varsity sport, the Eleanor Roosevelt girls team can
exact a measure of revenge against Bowie on Saturday in the county
championships at Prince George's Community College.
The Greenbelt school's top swimmers are Perla Antoniak, Kathryn Gold,
Meredith Stakem, Caitlyn Merkey and Casey Connor. The Raiders have
won the county title 12 consecutive seasons.
"It's going to be exciting and it is going to be loud," Eleanor Roosevelt
Coach Rick Renyer said. "It will be a lot of fun."
Bowie's top swimmers are Ashley Roark, Lindsay Mathers, Tricia Dennis,
Valerie Bernsten, Julie Lilly and Kristin Bayly.
"It will be a great meet," Bowie Coach Patty Bayly said. "We're looking
forward to it."
While the girls meet is expected to be close, Eleanor Roosevelt's boys
team is a heavy favorite to win yet another title. "They're not going to be
touched and we know that," Patty Bayly said.
Osbourn High School swimmers Justin Snyder and Elizabeth Belch use the
same word to describe how they are feeling these days: tired.
And rest won't come easily this weekend: The pair is scheduled to
compete at the Virginia AAA championships Friday and Saturday at Chinn
Center. But judging by their performances at last weekend's Northwestern
Region meet, the two juniors seem to be handling fatigue just fine.
Snyder won the 200-yard individual medley in an area-best time of 2
minutes 2.13 seconds and placed second in the 100 backstroke to lead the
Eagles to a second-place team finish. The Osbourn girls finished third,
helped by the top two performances of Belch's life. She won the 50
freestyle in an area- and personal-best time of 25.09 seconds and placed
second in the 100 freestyle in 55.28, two seconds faster than her previous
best.
"When I looked up at the board, I said, 'Those are not my times,' " Belch
said. "I am still in denial about what happened last weekend."
Her achievements come at a time when both she and Snyder are busy
training with QDD swim club. They are preparing for the Senior Champs
meet in March, at which they can qualify for junior nationals. That means
practicing Monday through Thursday evenings, Saturday mornings and
three other mornings each week with QDD -- in addition to high school
workouts.
"I am hoping their club coach will ease off them a little this week," Osbourn
Coach Harry DeLong said. "I think they can both swim even faster if they
are more relaxed and a little fresher."
Snyder said area swimmers are accustomed to intense club workouts
throughout the high school championship season but that even he felt the
effects toward the end of his 200 IM victory.
"I always take it out fast in the first 150 [yards] because freestyle is my
weakest leg," said Snyder, who is undefeated in the event this season. "I
get a good lead, and my freestyle is usually fast enough to keep me in front
of everybody. But when you are not rested, that last leg really hurts."
Belch missed two meets this season with flu and also felt sick to her
stomach during Osbourn's only dual-meet loss, against Woodbridge. "I
realized that I probably shouldn't be swimming like this," Belch said. "But
then districts came along, and I am glad I stuck with it. But I still don't feel
back to normal."
Belch set a school record when she won the 50 freestyle at the Cardinal
District meet, then broke it again last weekend. She is looking to make
finals this weekend, something she did not do at last year's state meet.
Snyder is aiming to swim 1:59 and place in the top five in the 200 IM.
Osbourn's sibling combination of Jason and Shannon Woolard are among
the Eagles' 12 state qualifiers in addition to Snyder and Belch. Jason, a
senior, placed second in the 100 butterfly at the Northwestern Region
meet. Shannon, a sophomore, took third in the 50 freestyle and 100
butterfly, events that are held back-to-back.
Woodbridge sisters Amanda and Melanie Van Horn will try to lead the
Vikings to a state title after helping them capture first place at the regional
meet. Amanda, a junior, swam an area-best time of 1:00.05 to win the 100
backstroke and finished second in the 200 IM. Melanie, a freshman,
placed second in the 500 freestyle and third in the 200 freestyle.
Woodbridge junior Christian Lindberg (50 and 100 freestyles) and North
Stafford sophomore Akemi Parker (200 IM, 100 butterfly) have been the
area's most consistent individual performers, and both enter the state meet
undefeated this season.
Brooke Point junior Tom Cregan, who finished third and fourth,
respectively, in the 200 and 500 freestyles last weekend, leads a talented
relay foursome that also includes senior Andrew Bond, junior Aaron
Capizzi and freshman Josh Murphy. The Black-Hawks won the 200 free
relay and finished third in the 400 free relay at regionals. Brooke Point's
boys finished third overall at the meet behind Osbourn and regional champ
Cave Spring.
And Brooke Point senior Laura Cavataio will realize her long-awaited goal
of getting back to the state meet. She qualified as a freshman, but missed
her sophomore year because she was ill. Cavataio missed qualifying by
one-hundredth of a second her junior year. She earned a berth with an
eighth-place finish in the 100 butterfly last weekend.
Others to Watch
Osbourn Park junior Tara Koff, who owns the area's fastest times in three
events this season and placed second in the 200 freestyle and 100
breaststroke last weekend. . . . Osbourn freshman Peter Waldron, who
swam the area's fastest 100 breaststroke time (1:04.43) en route to
finishing second last weekend. . . . Hylton senior Brett Gombar (50
freestyle, 100 butterfly) and North Stafford sophomore Ryan Gerwig (100
freestyle, 100 breaststroke), who placed third in both of their events at
regionals. . . . Stafford sophomore Ryan Chewning (100 freestyle, 100
backstroke), who had a pair of Northwestern Region fourth-place finishes.
The Virginia AAA swimming and diving championships are Friday and
Saturday at the Chinn Center in Woodbridge. On both days, diving events
begin at 10 a.m. and swimming events at 2:30 p.m.