Thirty-nine Douglas Dolfins swam at the Fall 2007 state swimming championships in Carson City last weekend.
This meet has a grueling four-day format, where the coaches are at the meet up to 14 hours a day, and most of the swimmers swim their events twice a day, once in prelims (morning) and the second in the finals (evening).
Because the meet is so close to home, Douglas was able to have relays for almost every age group. Most of the relay races were at the end of finals around 8 to 8:30 p.m. every night.
That made a huge difference for our team points, and I would like to thank the all relay only swimmers for making this happen.
For our only 8-under girl, Taylor Sullivan, 7, had a great meet by dropping in four out of her five events and achieved one new A time in her 25 free by dropping two seconds with an 18.6 finish. Her biggest drop was her 50 breastroke where she dropped seven seconds by swimming a 55.33, and placing ninth.
Paolo Burns, 7, swam three best times. Burns dropped three seconds on his 25 backstroke with a 23.5, and dropped four seconds in his 50 breastroke with a 56.73, good enough for sixth. He also placed seventh in the 25 breaststroke.
Josh Smithen 8, swam a perfect meet with three new A times. Josh had huge drops, swimming six seconds faster in his 50 free, 2.2 seconds faster in his 2.2 and4.6 seconds faster in his 50 back.
Lindsey Johnston swam a beautiful 100 breastroke dropping 1.5 seconds. Shelby Koontz
had a great meet swimming five best times, and achieving two new Junior Olympic cuts
and a new A time.
Koontz swam a great 200 free right off the start, dropping more than three seconds for a 2:36.4. She also swam a great 100 fly dropping four seconds despite only swimming it once before.
Her 200 IM was strong all the way through with a 2:52.3 finish. Annika Sikora swam very fast and dropped eight seconds in her 200 IM swimming a 3:11.5. She also swam 6.5 seconds faster in her 100 free with a 1:14.6. Sikora swam the 200 free one second faster.
For the 9-10 boys, Kevin Smithen swam two best times, showing his strengths in his freestyle. He started off with the 200 free and screamed through with a 10-second drop. He also swam a fast 50 free in 36.1 seconds.
Friday was timed finals and all distance events. Five Dolfins swam the 400 IM.
Cameron Morefield shined with an 11-second drop, swimming a 5:15. Chris Bergstrom swam nine seconds faster, but the biggest drop and amazing swim came from Marco Hyman swimming his 400 IM 28 seconds faster with a 4:48 finishing time.
Shaelin Morefield swam the 500 and dropped five seconds with a 6:09.
Kyle Johnston also swam the 500 and a best time.
Saturday morning the troops came in ready for the day at 6:45 a.m. We were the first team in the water warming up every day of the meet. The meet started off with the 200 free's, Morefield came in and dropped a huge 6.5 seconds and made consolations finals. T.J. swam well with a four-second drop. Johnston swam two seconds faster in prelims and came back in the finals and wowed everyone with one of the best swims of the meet finishing in the time of 2:11.4.
The 13-14 girls swam very well, Sarah Koontz just back to the team swam just off her best and Taylor Killion swam a best time by 2 seconds.
The 15- up boys had faster times with Bergstrom and Hyman swimming three seconds faster. Shawn Kessler swam the 50 breastroke next and dropped two seconds. Cameron Morefield swam the 100 breastroke in a 1:18, and droped three seconds. Haley VanShottenstein swam next and had an incredible swim, dropping three seconds and making consolations, to come back and swim a 1:14.0.
Taylor Brockway back from a one-year lay off and swam a best in 100 breastroke going a 1:12.3. The 11-12 100 backstroke was swam by Skilling who swam three seconds faster and tied for 16th and had to swim a swim-off for consolations at the end of prelims. Skilling came to the swim-off determined to win, and swam an amazing 1:09.1 to win the swim-off.
T.J. swam a great 100 back with a five-second drop, and Shawn Kessler was off by one-second. The 13-year-old girls had their own swim off for the 200 back, all-swimming in the same heat. Taylor Killion took the heat and all the girls swam best times. Shawn Stubnar swam the 200 back five seconds faster. The 50 fly was our next event where Skilling and Shaelin Morefield faced off. Skilling made finals and swam a 31.0, and Morefield made the consolations with a 31.5, and that night came back stronger with a 31.2.
Johnston came in and swam strong with a 31.4 and made the final heat. He came back dropping more time, swimming a 31.2. Sarah Koontz swam a beautiful 100 fly dropping one second and Mary Smithen swam a fast 100 fly, making consolations to come back swimming a 1:08.4.
Von Schottenstein swam a strong 100 fly and made bonus finals.
Brockway had an awesome swim, dropping his 100 fly time by four seconds, and Hyman final broke his 1:00 barrier, made bonus finals and came back that evening to go 58.8.
Sunday morning came fast, and we started the meet off right, with fast times. Chris Bergstrom swam two seconds faster in his 200 IM and Hyman swam four seconds faster to make it back for bonus, where he made the Junior Olympic cut at 2:13.
Stubnar swam his 200 IM in a best time by seven seconds and Cameron Morefield swam an eight-second best with a 2:27.9.
In the 11-12 100 IM's, Morefield swam a 1:12 and dropped one second and Skilling swam three seconds faster for a 1:09.2 and made it back for consolations.
Kessler and Johnston swam for the boys, and Johnston made it back in consolations and swam a 1:13.1.
In the 200 breastroke, VonSchottenstein swam fast enough to make top seed in the bonus finals.
Cameron Morefield swam four seconds faster and made the consolations to come back a smidge faster that evening. Stubnar also swam the 200 breastroke and swam three seconds faster. Briana Burns swam the 100 breastroke as her only state time and swam very strong. Hyman swam a 53.0 in the 100 free, dropping a full two seconds.
Shaelin Morefield swam a 1:03 in prelims and swam faster in finals with a 1:02.7, and Meagan swam a fast 1:02.6 in prelims making top seed in the consolations.
Johnston swam a 1:00.5 and made the top final heat and came back for a strong performance. The four final heats of the morning session were our 1,000 freestylers.
Sarah Koontz started it off with a three-second drop, and Cameron Morefield swam second with a 21-second drop with a 12:04.4. Taylor Killion swam 14 seconds faster and was strong all the way through.
Shawn Stubnar swam 13 seconds faster to finish the distance group.
Around 8:00 p.m. Sunday evening we started the relays. The 11-12 200 free group of Erica Chappell, Burns, Shaelin Morefield, and Skilling was strong as was the boys group of T.J., Shawn Kessler, Dressler, and Johnston.
The 13- 14 girls team of Mary Smithen, Yuchen Jin, Taylor Killion and Sarah Koontz swam a 400 free relay.
The 15-up 400 free relay teams of Michelle Forman, Becca Chappell, Chandra Mathson and Haley VonSchottenstien and Hyman, Eric Van Buege, Bergstrom and Brockway each swam well.
Monday, everyone walked in with a nice glazed over look, but when it came to swimming nothing changed: we swam fast.
Skilling started us off with a best time in her 50 back, swimming a 32.2 and making the finals that evening. She dropped her time that night with a 32.1.
T.J. swam next with a two-second drop, swimming a 36.6.
Johnston swam strong and made the consolation finals. He came back that night and swam one second faster with a 32.5.
The 13-14 100 back came next and our triple threat was back. Killion came out and swam three seconds faster with a 1:10.2. Jin swam a second faster with a 1:11.2 and Mary Smithen smashed her personal mark with a 1:08.1 and making consolation.
Most of this group is at the bottom of their age group in terms of ages, and next year will be quite exciting.
Stubnar swam for the boys and swam a 1:11.1 and swam a great race. Von Schoteinstein swam for the 15-up group and made the bonus final, and came back that evening to swim a second faster.
Skilling swam the 11-12 200 IM one second faster in the morning and four seconds faster in the evening at 2:31.2.
Shaelin Morefield started off with a four second drop and swam faster in finals, with another two seconds at 2:30.6.
Next came the 500s where Killion started it off and swam a strong race, realizing that the 500 was a sprint after her 1,000 the day before. Stubnar dropped four seconds with a strong finish.
Cameron Morefield came in and dropped his time another four seconds from his previous best. Hyman was our last 500, and stretched out his preliminary swim and swam a strong bonus final with a three-second drop.
Next came our fly group, a group that trained very hard.
The dynamite duo of Skilling and Shaelin Morefield started us off with a 1:10 finish placing each other next to each other that night in consolation finals. Both girls came back ready to swim faster, and that is what they did. Skilling touched the wall in a 1:09.1, and just ahead of her with a new Far Western time was Morefield with a 1:08.2.
The 200 fly group was next and Mary Smithen started us by dropping two seconds and at the last minute had the chance to swim again in consolations and swam strong.
Cameron Morefield knowing that he would be back for consolations, just went out relaxed and got a feel for the swim, and came out of it with a seven-second drop. In the 15-up girls 200 fly, Paula Sigala swam a strong 2:45.5, dropping 6.2 seconds.
Becca Chappell struggling with her health for the past two weeks, swam a strong race and was a life-saver, saving our 15-up relay.
Next came the 50 free and TJ came out swimming two seconds faster with a 31.6.
Shawn Kessler swam strong swimming a 32.1, and Johnston swam a 28.6 and made top seed in consolations. He came back with a 28.2 in the finals.
Sarah Koontz swam a strong 29.5, and Mary smithen, showing her sprinty side, swam a 28.2 and came back in consolations to drop more time and finish in a 27.6.
Von Schottenstein, swam a great 26.5 and made the consolations.
Van Buege, swimming his only state individual swim, swam a best time with a 26.6.
Bergstrom was our last morning swim and had a best time with a 25.5.
All in all, the Dolfins shined with an 85 percent improvement.
The relay teams generated 229 points, 30 points just from the 9-10 boys fourth-place finish. And with 16 new Junior Olympic cuts and two new Far Western cuts, this was our best meet this year.
