Post by gatormom on Feb 24, 2008 7:48:34 GMT -6
The perfect wave
Neuqua rides depth to first state swimming championship
February 24, 2008
By Sean Fuchs
EVANSTON -- When Brian Alden took off from the blocks to swim the anchor leg of the 400-yard freestyle relay Saturday afternoon, Neuqua Valley coach Chad Allen raised his arms in celebration. It didn't matter that the Wildcats were trailing in the event and would finish fourth.
Neuqua had already clinched its first team state championship in boys swimming and diving - the area's first since Naperville Central topped the field in 2002.
Thanks to a 15-point lead over two-time defending state champ New Trier, all Neuqua had to do was finish the 400 relay without getting disqualified. Neuqua finished with 144 points. New Trier, denied its fourth title in five years, was second with 139.
"We played it safe," Allen said. "I know we could have gone probably four seconds faster than we went, but we just wanted the state championship. That was our No. 1 priority."
Glenbrook South was third with 118 points, followed by St. Charles North (101), Naperville North (100) and Central (93). Waubonsie Valley finished tied for 24th with 11 points.
Neuqua built its cushion with Alden winning his third consecutive state titles in the 50 and 100 freestyles, Kevin Overholt getting second in the 200 freestyle and fourth in the 100 freestyle, and a second-place showing from Chris Murray in diving. The Wildcats all but clinched their team championship when the quartet of Hans Peters, Overholt, Mike Lehman and Alden won the 200 free relay, giving Neuqua a 122-95 lead over New Trier with three events to go.
After New Trier picked up 12 points with a third place in the 100 backstroke, and both teams were without a swimmer in the 100 breaststroke finals, it all came down to the 400 relay. New Trier could make up only 14 points in the last event.
"All we had to do was finish," Alden said. "That's what we focused on. We finished and we got the 'W.'"
Alden became the second boys swimmer in IHSA history to win three consecutive state titles in either the 50 or 100 free.
There have been 10 winning times in the 50 freestyle in finals history that have been faster than 21 seconds, including Alden's victories the last two years. Last year's 20.14 gave Alden his second consecutive state title, and earned him the distinction of being only the third swimmer to have a winning time faster than 20.5 seconds in finals history. He added a fourth sub-20.5 time Saturday, but he wasn't satisfied. Alden said he was shooting for the national record of 19.83.
"I wanted to be well under 20, towards that national record," he said. "It's not my meet, but it's my team's meet."
Overholt, the state runner-up last year in the 200 freestyle, qualified for Saturday's final as the second seed and again took second in the state meet.
He finished in 1:38.91, with top seed Colin Cordes of Glenbrook South first (1:38.42).
In his fourth trip to the state finals, Murray had his best year, placing second thanks to his score of 433.55. Philip Devine of Byron took first place with a 459.95.
Murray, who was seventh as a sophomore and sixth as a junior, was pleased with the final competition of his prep career. The senior said he had no regrets about falling short of joining Aaron Leech as Neuqua's second diving state champion.
"No, not at all. It's, whatever," Murray said. "I'm happy for Philip. He had the meet of his life. He did really well, and I'm happy for him."
In addition to a sixth place in the 200 medley relay, Neuqua also got points from Hans Peters (11th) in the 200 freestyle and Ryan Farmer (12th) in the 100 butterfly.
Despite not having a finals entry in the 500 freestyle, 100 backstroke or 100 breastroke, Allen said he was confident his team could score enough points to claim the title.
"We were thinking about 150," Allen said. "I calculated this week that if you had 140 points, only three teams in the last 30 years have not won with 140. So that was what I had in the back of my mind. ... I think we could have gone 150 if we had to, but 140 was a nice safe number."
Jackson Hill had another strong day for North. A day after breaking school records in the 50 and 100 freestyles - marks previously held by current Waubonsie coach Chad Ganden - Hill had two top-three finishes in the finals. He placed third in the 50 freestyle and second in the 100, in addition to swimming legs of the third-place 400 relay team and the fourth-place 200 freestyle relay team.
Teammate Conor Handley took second in the 200 individual medley behind Matt Elliott of Peoria Richwoods.
"I thought I could have had him, but I kind of died the last 50," Handley said of the IM. "There's not much I could do. It felt good. ... He just took off is what it was."
Huskies sophomore Will Heidler finished sixth in the IM and 10th in the breastroke.
Central coach Mike Adams was pleased with his team's result, closing the day with second place in the 400 frees relay to go with a fourth in the medley relay. The Redhawks had their best individual results in the 100 breaststroke, where Bobby Rickert was fourth and Ben Reasons fifth. Rickert also placed eighth in the IM. Tyler Hsieh was eighth in the 100 free.
"You look to perform at this level, and the state meet this year, you have to give everybody a lot of credit downstate, upstate," Adams said. "This was a fast meet. For us to be where ever we ended up, I think sixth, is just tremendous. It was a great meet this year. To have three Naperville teams in the top six, that's impressive."
Waubonsie's Jim Zuponeck won the consolation finals of the 100 breaststroke in 59.51, and Jack Poletto placed ninth in the 100 butterfly (51.53).
Neuqua rides depth to first state swimming championship
February 24, 2008
By Sean Fuchs
EVANSTON -- When Brian Alden took off from the blocks to swim the anchor leg of the 400-yard freestyle relay Saturday afternoon, Neuqua Valley coach Chad Allen raised his arms in celebration. It didn't matter that the Wildcats were trailing in the event and would finish fourth.
Neuqua had already clinched its first team state championship in boys swimming and diving - the area's first since Naperville Central topped the field in 2002.
Thanks to a 15-point lead over two-time defending state champ New Trier, all Neuqua had to do was finish the 400 relay without getting disqualified. Neuqua finished with 144 points. New Trier, denied its fourth title in five years, was second with 139.
"We played it safe," Allen said. "I know we could have gone probably four seconds faster than we went, but we just wanted the state championship. That was our No. 1 priority."
Glenbrook South was third with 118 points, followed by St. Charles North (101), Naperville North (100) and Central (93). Waubonsie Valley finished tied for 24th with 11 points.
Neuqua built its cushion with Alden winning his third consecutive state titles in the 50 and 100 freestyles, Kevin Overholt getting second in the 200 freestyle and fourth in the 100 freestyle, and a second-place showing from Chris Murray in diving. The Wildcats all but clinched their team championship when the quartet of Hans Peters, Overholt, Mike Lehman and Alden won the 200 free relay, giving Neuqua a 122-95 lead over New Trier with three events to go.
After New Trier picked up 12 points with a third place in the 100 backstroke, and both teams were without a swimmer in the 100 breaststroke finals, it all came down to the 400 relay. New Trier could make up only 14 points in the last event.
"All we had to do was finish," Alden said. "That's what we focused on. We finished and we got the 'W.'"
Alden became the second boys swimmer in IHSA history to win three consecutive state titles in either the 50 or 100 free.
There have been 10 winning times in the 50 freestyle in finals history that have been faster than 21 seconds, including Alden's victories the last two years. Last year's 20.14 gave Alden his second consecutive state title, and earned him the distinction of being only the third swimmer to have a winning time faster than 20.5 seconds in finals history. He added a fourth sub-20.5 time Saturday, but he wasn't satisfied. Alden said he was shooting for the national record of 19.83.
"I wanted to be well under 20, towards that national record," he said. "It's not my meet, but it's my team's meet."
Overholt, the state runner-up last year in the 200 freestyle, qualified for Saturday's final as the second seed and again took second in the state meet.
He finished in 1:38.91, with top seed Colin Cordes of Glenbrook South first (1:38.42).
In his fourth trip to the state finals, Murray had his best year, placing second thanks to his score of 433.55. Philip Devine of Byron took first place with a 459.95.
Murray, who was seventh as a sophomore and sixth as a junior, was pleased with the final competition of his prep career. The senior said he had no regrets about falling short of joining Aaron Leech as Neuqua's second diving state champion.
"No, not at all. It's, whatever," Murray said. "I'm happy for Philip. He had the meet of his life. He did really well, and I'm happy for him."
In addition to a sixth place in the 200 medley relay, Neuqua also got points from Hans Peters (11th) in the 200 freestyle and Ryan Farmer (12th) in the 100 butterfly.
Despite not having a finals entry in the 500 freestyle, 100 backstroke or 100 breastroke, Allen said he was confident his team could score enough points to claim the title.
"We were thinking about 150," Allen said. "I calculated this week that if you had 140 points, only three teams in the last 30 years have not won with 140. So that was what I had in the back of my mind. ... I think we could have gone 150 if we had to, but 140 was a nice safe number."
Jackson Hill had another strong day for North. A day after breaking school records in the 50 and 100 freestyles - marks previously held by current Waubonsie coach Chad Ganden - Hill had two top-three finishes in the finals. He placed third in the 50 freestyle and second in the 100, in addition to swimming legs of the third-place 400 relay team and the fourth-place 200 freestyle relay team.
Teammate Conor Handley took second in the 200 individual medley behind Matt Elliott of Peoria Richwoods.
"I thought I could have had him, but I kind of died the last 50," Handley said of the IM. "There's not much I could do. It felt good. ... He just took off is what it was."
Huskies sophomore Will Heidler finished sixth in the IM and 10th in the breastroke.
Central coach Mike Adams was pleased with his team's result, closing the day with second place in the 400 frees relay to go with a fourth in the medley relay. The Redhawks had their best individual results in the 100 breaststroke, where Bobby Rickert was fourth and Ben Reasons fifth. Rickert also placed eighth in the IM. Tyler Hsieh was eighth in the 100 free.
"You look to perform at this level, and the state meet this year, you have to give everybody a lot of credit downstate, upstate," Adams said. "This was a fast meet. For us to be where ever we ended up, I think sixth, is just tremendous. It was a great meet this year. To have three Naperville teams in the top six, that's impressive."
Waubonsie's Jim Zuponeck won the consolation finals of the 100 breaststroke in 59.51, and Jack Poletto placed ninth in the 100 butterfly (51.53).
