The Milan News-Leader
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Big Reds grab series of cuts at MISCA
400-yard freestyle relay drops 9 seconds while Bordine stays hot
By Jerry Hinnen, Staff Writer
PUBLISHED: February 15, 2007
If you need to know what the Milan boys' swimming team is made of, says head coach Dan Heikka, all you needed to see was the 400-yard freestyle relay event at last Saturday's Michigan Inter-Scholastic Swim Coaches' Association meet.
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Despite it being the final event of a long day, despite each swimmer having already competed in multiple events (and sophomore Tim Hochradel having swum the previous event), the Big Reds got a superb opening leg from Jason Schroder his best of the season by more than a second-and-a-half, Heikka said and rolled to a 14th-place time of 3:24.89.
Not only was the time well under the 3:30.89 needed for state qualification, it was the Big Reds' best time in the event this season by a whopping 8.61 seconds.
"They really decided it was time to start making a statement," Heikka said of the swim. "Jason Schroeder is a senior who's never been to state and really wants to go. And he seized that opportunity with everything he had Our guys swim with a lot of heart."
Thanks to Schroeder's big start and the continued strong swimming of Ian Pendleton, Hochradel and Ryan Bordine, Milan took the lead in its heat and never lost it, winning comfortably and catapulting the team up the 400 rankings.
There were plenty of other Big Red highlights at the MISCA meet. Bordine showed that the Big Reds have talent to go with their heart as the senior finished third in both the 50 and 100 freestyles. His respective times of 21.83 and 48.68 were the fastest recorded in each event by a Division 2 swimmer, showing again that Bordine must be considered among the candidates to win state titles in the events in March.
Heikka cautioned that many of Bordine's chief rivals for those honors were either absent from the MISCA meet or swimming different events, but added that he had nonetheless posted his most impressive performance to date.
"He was a lot faster than where he had been," Heikka said. "This was the first time he was swimming against really serious competition. He was great. But we don't expect anything less from him.
"After four years, he never ceases to amaze me, but he still has his work cut out for him."
Bordine also helped the 200 freestyle relay team, which also included Pendelton, Schroder and Kray Cornelison, to an impressive time of 1:32.65 for 14th place.
But the other big news for Milan was the three additional state cuts made by Hochradel and Pendleton.
Hochradel swam 2:10.87 in the 200 individual medley to finish 47th, bettering his previous season-best by nearly two seconds and well under the 2:12.39 needed for state. The sophomore is still looking to qualify in the 100 breaststroke after swimming 1:08.69 Saturday, but Heikka remained more than pleased with his performance.
"He swam really, really well," Heikka said. "He's had a tough go of it in the breaststroke this year. But he cracked the barrier in the IM comfortably and his leg in the 400 (relay) was two seconds better than his previous best."
Pendleton fell just short of qualifying in the 200 freestyle (swimming a 40th place 1:53.13) but turned in a season-best 51.15 in the 100 freestyle to finish 34th and qualify in that event. The junior then added a second cut by leading off the 200 freestyle relay with a 23.46 in his 50-yard leg, which was good enough to qualify him for the 50 freestyle.
"He's one of those guys that makes everyone around him better," Heikka said.
The 200 medley relay team of Cornelison, Zack Olsen, Hochradel and Kyle Cornelison finished outside the top 50 with a time of 1:55.46, but Heikka said it was good experience for those swimmers at such a large meet.
With that meet behind them, the Big Reds look forward to dual meets against Adrian and Erie-Mason this week and the regular season-concluding River Rat Invitational in March. There is no Huron League meet scheduled for this season.
Heikka said that after snapping a long Erie-Mason winning streak last season, the Eagles will be ready for payback Thursday.
"We know what we're walking into," he said. "It's going to be a tough challenge for us."
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