The Milan News-Leader
A Heritage Newspaper
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'Everybody' shines for Big Reds at Huron meet
By Jerry Hinnen, Staff Writer
PUBLISHED: February 28, 2008
For the majority of Milan's boys' swim team, last Saturday's league meet against Riverview was the final meet of the season.
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Fortunately for those Big Reds, it's safe to say they went out on a high.
With "everybody" who had shaved for the meet posting their best times of the season, according to head coach Dan Heikka, the Big Reds rolled to a 699-528 victory and the Huron League title.
"We swam really, really well," Heikka said. "We had so many great swims, it's hard to single any out. For those eight on nine guys who aren't swimming with our state team, they finished things off with a bang."
The Big Reds also grabbed two big state cuts, with the 200-yard medley relay team of Ian Pendleton, Tim Hochradel, Tyler Fisher, and Kray Cornelison swimming a first-place time of 1:47.68 and senior Zach Olson qualifying in the 200 freestyle with a second-place time of 1:55.36.
The relay cut means all three Big Red relays are now on their way to the March 8 state meet.
"That's big, because looking at the field, there are so few teams qualified we stand a great chance to score. But you can't do that if you're not there," he said. "For Zach, he wasn't shaved so I think we'll see him swim even better once he gets (to state). He's had a great year so it's nice to see him get there in the 200."
Milan dominated on the scoreboard, winning all 12 events. Hochradel took first in both the 200 (1:53.81) and 100 (52.76) freestyles; John Nuckels took the 200 individual medley in 2:22.85; Cornelison won the 50 freestyle in 23.37; Pendleton took the 100 butterfly in a state-cut time of 57.02 (though he will not swim the race at the state meet); Justin Beaudrie earned a win in the 500 freestyle in 5:23.88; Cornelison, Nuckels, Matt Smith, and Pendleton (1:33.79) cruised to victory in the 200 freestyle; Fisher won the 100 backstroke in 1:05.24; Shearer took the 100 breaststroke in 1:11.67; and Cornelsion, Pendleton, Hochradel, and Olson won the 400 freestyle relay in 3:30.54.
As good as Milan's times were, the non-competitiveness of the meet may have meant that they could have been even better, Heikka said.
"I think honestly, we could have done maybe a little better. Not to say anything bad about Riverview, but it's harder to get up for a meet when it's not a big one for both teams. And Riverview's big meet is this week," Heikka said. "So it's our job to challenge our guys and get them ready. And I do think we swam about as well as we were capable of."
The biggest story of the meet wasn't the score anyway, Heikka said, but what the meet said about the program's future.
"When you've got a whole bunch of guys who swim that fast in their last meet, they get fired up for next swim season," Heikka said. "We had freshmen finish 1-2 in the 100 back, freshmen go 1-2 in the 100 breaststroke. With this freshman class, we're going to be really, really good in the next couple of years.
"That's what this meet is all about. It's about improvement."
Other results from the meet included: 200 medley relay — 2, DiGesare, Shearer, Nuckels, Smith, 1:53.44; 3, Trevor Pratt, Westen Schroeder, Jeremy Robison, and Mark Hokenson, 2:09.80; 200 freestyle — 3, Beaudrie, 1:57.03; 5, Hokenson, 2:14.64; 6, Joe Martin, 2:25.41; 200 IM — 3, Robison, 2:37.50; 4, Francisco Contreras, 2:45.33; 50 freestyle — 3, Smith, 24.25; 6, DiGesare, 27.67, 8, Pratt, 30.35; 9, Myles Martin, 32.31; 10, Steven Howell, 35.54; 100 butterfly — 2, Fisher, 58.68; 3, Nuckels, 1:03.18; 4, Contreras, 1:14.07; 100 freestyle — 3, Olson, 53.75; 4, Smith, 55.83; 8, Pratt, 1:11.96; 9, Myles Martin, 1:13.85; 10, Steven Howell, 1:17.39; 500 freestyle — 3, Shearer, 5:39.18; 5, Hokenson, 6:08.91; 6, Joe Martin, 6:40.54; 200 freestyle relay — 3, Olson, Schroeder, Hokenson, Beaudrie, 1:43.44; 5, Contreras, Pratt, Howell, Joe Martin, 2:00.85; 100 backstroke — 2, DiGesare, 1:06.37; 100 breaststroke — 2, Schroeder, 1:14.28; 3, Robison, 1:21.81; 400 freestyle relay — 3, Contreras, Fisher, DiGesare, Shearer, 3:54.80; 5, Myles Martin, Joe Martin, Steven Howell, Jeremy Robison, 4:48.34.
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