The Milan News-Leader
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Milan ties Chelsea 93-all
Team effort gives Big Reds 'exciting' draw against SEC foe
By Jerry Hinnen, Staff Writer
PUBLISHED: February 1, 2007
A dual-meet tie is a rare thing in high school swimming.
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But Milan's 93-93 draw with Chelsea Jan. 23 in Chelsea had more significance for the Big Reds' boys' swimming team than just a statistical quirk.
Coach Dan Heikka believes that the result against a Bulldog squad with "more talent" represented an overachievement for his team — one that had Milan thrilled and excited as the meet came down to the final swimmers of the final race.
"It was a real exciting meet," Heikka said. "Quite frankly, I think they have more talent and depth than we do. But we swam better than they did on that given night … Chelsea's a rival of ours from the old SEC. It was fun."
The 200-yard medley relay team of Kyle Cornelison, Tim Hochradel, Ian Pendleton and Ryan Bordine got the meet off to a good start for Milan by taking first in 1:48.21. That was followed by 2-3 finishes in the 200 freestyle by Zach Olsen (2:03.66) and Jason Schroeder (2:04.05), 1-2 finishes in the 200 individual medley by Hochradel (2:13.88) and Pendleton (2:14.52), and a first-place finish for Bordine (22.47) in the 50 freestyle.
After Cody Schmitt, Cody Baron and Kyle Baron had taken first, third and fifth in the diving competition, Milan held a 44-34 lead entering the back half of the meet. But Chelsea was ready to make its move.
"It wasn't a back-and-forth kind of meet," Heikka said. "We got out in front, they came back pretty hard, and we held them off."
Despite Bordine's win in the 100 freestyle in 50.39 and Pendleton's second-place 1:00.41 in the 100 butterfly, Chelsea outscored the Big Reds in each of those events.
Milan stretched the lead again in the next two events. Schroeder (5:29.54), Olsen (5:31.19), Justin and Beaudrie (5:40.83) went 2-3-4 in the 500 freestyle ("That was huge," Heikka said) and the 200 freestyle relay of Pendelton, Hochradel, Kray Cornelison and Bordine took first in 1:33.70, the team's first swim under the state meet qualifying time of 1:34.19.
But the Bulldogs took three of the top five spots in the 100 backstroke to pull within four at 80-76. Hochradel won the 100 breaststroke in 1:09.48, with Jeremy Robison (1:24.70) and Kyle Hodges (1:31.82) also nabbing points for the Big Reds in the event.
That put Milan up 89-83, but if Chelsea was able to take the top two spots in the 400 freestyle relay, the final event of the meet — and one of Milan's weaker events — the Bulldogs would claim the victory. To keep that from happening, Heikka made some last-minute juggling to his 400 "A" team, giving the assignment to Schroeder, Olsen, Kyle Cornelison and Gabrielzyk.
The team came through, taking second with a time of 3:46.08, more than three seconds ahead of the third-place Chelsea "B" team. With the Bulldogs taking first and third, they scored 10 points, Milan took four, and the meet finished knotted at 93.
"I really feel that this was one of the brightest moments of our season, so far," Heikka said. "We had a lot of guys turn in their best times of the year, a lot guys who don't get all the attention and really came through for us.
"This was the sort of meet where you get sucked into it –– that reminds you what it's really all about, which is having fun. They wanted to win and they enjoyed it just as much as I did."
After taking on Saline Tuesday night, Milan's next meet will come at home 6:30 p.m. Thursday against Dundee.
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