With the World Cup quiet, and the Grand Prixs not yet started, there was some time over the weekend for the high school swimmers to shine. Today’s edition of Sprint News will focus on those swims.
Bolles Cleans Up at Florida District Meets
…In Florida, the high school district championship meets kicked off; there, in Division 1A, District 2, the Bolles boys and girls took both team titles and qualified the maximum on to the Regional level (an impressive feat). Both teams are going for history, with the boys looking for a 25th-straight State Championship, and the girls going for a 22nd-straight. If the Bolles girls were to take the state crown this year, it would break a tie with Pine Crest for the most consecutive State titles won by a girls’ squad.
Ryan Murphy, who recently made his commitment to Cal as one of the top two recruits in the country, won a single individual event and led off all three winning relays as well. In the 100 back, he’s already going a 49.30: and that’s with Bolles clearly being far from rested based on other swims.
The strategy for the Bolles boys in this year’s post season is clear. With a State Title seeming to be as close to a possibility as sport will allow for, they are going after records. This team has already broken both the 200 and 400 free relay records this year, and given that their three big guns (Murphy, Santo Condorelli, and Joe Schooling) each only swam one individual event and three relays, they’re out for more blood.
On the girls’ side, the Bolles freshmen showed the future of the women’s team is strong, despite big graduations. Chloe Miller took her first District title in the 100 fly, winning in 59.69, and Olga Lapteva was the runner-up in the 100 breaststroke. There, she lost out only to senior teammate Ashley Neidigh in 1:06.84. (1A – District 2 results here).
St. Andrews Pulls Off Monster Upset
Elsewhere, in the south end of the state, a huge congratulations goes out to the girls of St. Andrews, as the Lady Scots ended a 24-year run of dominance by Pine crest in 1A District 10. This St. Andrew’s team could be good for a long time. Aside from Texas commit Tasija Karosas (winner of the 100 back in 56.13 – a new Pool Record in her home course), this is a team largely built around freshmen and sophomores. Rachael Bradford-Feldman, for example, won the 200 IM in 2:04.49. (1A – District 10 results here).
A full rundown of the Florida Championships, which just wrapped up Tuesday due to Hurricane Sandy, is available here…
Paul Powers Joins Elite Sprinting Class
…A young Georgian named Paul Powers hasd been rising in the sprint ranks for about a year now. He’s a junior from Gainesville (Georgia) and swims for Splash Aquatic Club, and won the 50 free Georgia HS title last year, as well as the 100 in long course at the Swimvitational.
If you hadn’t heard of him before, let us introduce you: Powers broke the Georgia 15-16 State Records in both the 50 and 100 freestyles over the weekend at the Pilot Aquatic Invitational on the University of Tennessee campus, swimming 20.23 and 43.99, respectively. Those swims take down records held by big-names of Brent Murrayand Matias Koski, respectively. His swim in the 50 also cleared Michael Arnold’s 17-18 LSC Record.
He’s only the 3rd 16-year old in history to go under 44 seconds in the 100 yard free, and the first in nearly a decade. (The other two were the legendary Joe Hudepohl and Kyle Bubolz).
Powers has at least through this year’s Georgia State Championship meet before he ages up, and has set a goal of becoming the first 16-year old to go under 20 seconds (Ryan Murphy currently holds the NAG Record in 20.02). Considering his potential, he’s 6’5, weighs 205 pounds, and benches 235; and also plays basketball. He has every opportunity to reach that potential, as his coach is Andrew Deichert, formerly of the Race Club: one of the most successful sprint groups in swimming history.
Wyoming Streak Ends
The Wyoming 3A and 4A State Championship meets were held last weekend in Gillette, Wyoming, and a 7-year streak came to an end when Cheyenne East took the state crown in dominant fashion, edging out Cheyenne Central and Campbell County High School. That ended a 7-year title run from the Campbell girls in Class 4A.
East didn’t actually win a single individual event, but with a good mix of youth and experience, plus enough bodies to fill out three stellar relays (including a winning 200 medley), the title was their’s. That included a 2nd-place finish from Jonna Brown in the 100 breaststroke in 1:08.28 – finishing just .02 seconds behind Kelly Walsh’s Iliana Jones.
Other big swims from the 4A meet included Campbell junior Kelsey Ochsner winning the 100 fly in 56.23 (she should be a notable D-1 recruit in the class of 2014) and still-uncomitted senior Sarah Morgan from Laramie High winning the 100 free in 51.92.
In the 3A meet, Jackson Holewas led to a 60-point victory ahead of Lander High School thanks in large part to freshman Kiana Phelps. She won both the 100 free (53.71) and 200 free (1:59.59) to lead the way. The team also got a big contribution from Connor Tarver, who won the 200 IM in 2:11.71 – the fastest of either meet.
We need to encourage young men in our sport. Having talked with couple folks this week, Paul Powers seems to be a great young man with great character. His future and success is a reflection of our sport. I hope Andy is up to the task.
“I hope Andy is up to the task.”
It would seem Andy already has proven himself to be.
You guys sound like a bunch of jealous babies. On his worst day, this kid probably swims better than any of you did/could on your best day! Does it make you feel like big men to insult a 16 year old for accomplishing his goals? grow up! Give this guy, his coach and parents some credit for the hard work they have clearly invested in to him reaching his goals. You should all be ashamed for bashing him simply because you weren’t the swimmer he is and/or you’ll never have a swimmer to coach such as one like him. way to be professionals and represent the sport.
Yes… give credit where it is due … good on you both Paul & Andy! ….
When I first read this though, I was thinking that another Andy … Andy Coan… went 43.99 as a 16 year-old junior at Pine Crest swimming for Jack Nelson in that old pool at Lawrenceville Prep back in the 1975 Easterns … I could be wrong, but I also remember it as an American Record .. first man (boy?) under 44 as I remember…
I certainly wasn’t bashing him, and most others weren’t either. I think the negativity was to the one post that said it wasn’t apples to apples. I’m excited the US has a 6’5 16 yr old busting 43s!
Congrats to Andy and Paul Powers. Andy allways preached that the better athlete you are the better swimmer you will be. Thats what we did in the Race club and obviously this is what he is doing in Georgia. Having his swimmer play other sports to compliment his swim training will help a lot in the long run.
Once again way to go Andy D
Nice work Andy! Keep up the good work.
Coach Andy Deichert…..your ability to connect with sprinters and help them achieve great times has always been there. Look at Nathan A. Your hard work with Paul is paying off. We are glad you are back and on your “A” game. Narrow is the gate……..
Amen to that. Andy Diechart is, in my opinion, the most under-appreciated coach in the sport today. I was thrilled to see him on here. He coached Sabir Muhammad to a US Open victory in the nineties and played a huge role in my success over the years. With John Olsen he coached Michelle Engelsman from Australia to 5th place at the Olympics. She had never made a national team prior to that year, I believe. He worked closely with Mike Cavic, Nathan Adrian and the fresh crop that was produced out of the Race Club. Andy has a unique talent in bringing out the best in his swimmers. I remember working with Andy and Nick Folker in Berkeley before… Read more »
Props to the Chiles (Tallahassee, FL) girls high school swimmers – going for their third straight state title next week. Yes, there are other solid programs in Florida.
Absolutely Swim Fan … Terry Maul has long been one of the very best coaches in this State and in this Nation ….the Chiles team just being the latest evidence of that …….. My point is not in regard to any one program, but the selection system itself that discriminates against highly qualified athletes who get left behind simply because they come from a District or Region that is incredibly competitive. Adding an extra heat during prelims of wild card entries would go a long way towards leveling the playing field.
I agree the Florida state meet qualifying procedure is messed up. I believe there was a time when qualifying times only got you to the state meet. That is probably the only way to get the best athletes to the state meet. The district/regional qualifying system has to go.
And thanks for recognizing Coach Maul – truly none of the best!
I wanna see his birth certificate!!!
I agree Coach Sid. The Florida system is in need of an overhaul. Under the current system, why bother having a B final if you can only advance from A final to the next level.
Congrats to Powers. One thing to keep in mind is that he IS BENCHING WEIGHTS. Most swimmers in established clubs are not being encouraged to lift. Bottom line…that makes a huge difference. He had a private trainer and he has built muscle that other kids haven’t even started working on yet. Let’s compare apples to apples.
The best apples to apples comparison I can think of are swimming times. They are posted right there. I’m not sure what you are suggesting. Should we only compare swimmers based on their training strategies or resources? Is it unfair that he is lifting?
So lame. Should we create seperated records for ‘those who lift’, ‘those who do doubles’, and ‘those who aren’t trying to better themselves’?
“Most swimmers in established clubs are not being encouraged to lift.”
Although I agree that this is happening, it is one of the biggest farces in all off sports. There is no scientific reason why kids should lift weights, as long as they are in an environment where they get proper feedback and monitoring.
News Flash: Today’s sprinters look like defensive backs and linebackers! If a kid wants to have a shot at being a top sprinter, they need to lift. People like to use MP as the example for not lifting until you’re 18, but nobody is asking Bosquet/Cielo/etc. when they started resistance training.
Ben- I’m not getting your post, are you saying that swimmer’s shouldn’t lift? and I’m curious about all the research that you have done on studies about the benefits of strength training for swimmers. Can you point to any specific written work that has been published in the last 10 years?
Most sprinters going 43’s in high school aren’t playing two sports, either. I guess he gets some points back for that.
What points does he get? He isn’t swimming to his potential? You don’t get “points” for not being a full time swimmer. Why do we give people credit for doing well while not being “all in” to develop their skills? I am not saying we should be critical of him but we certainly should be getting “points” for it…..
Gc – that’s precisely what I mean. Can’t discredit his times in the record books for lifting weights, just like you can’t give him extra credit for playing two sports.
Who cares if HE IS BENCHING WEIGHTS? His chest does not look particularly developed for a guy that is BENCHING A WEIGHT. He looks like he could develop a lot more. Maybe not, but no one can really know for sure.
I can only imagine that his weight program includes other forms of lifting than benching. I can only speculate that his real strength is in his legs and his quickness……
So what are you waiting on. Swimmers are some of the best athletes around.