05.13.07
Record haul
Record haul
Stockdale sweeps boys, girls titles; 10 top times fall
BY JEFF EVANS, Californian staff writer
e-mail: jevans@bakersfield.com | Saturday, May 12 2007 11:40 PM
Last Updated: Saturday, May 12 2007 11:45 PM
Ten meet records fell at Saturday’s South Yosemite League Conference Swimming Championships at Cal State Bakersfield, but arguably the best swim of the day was not a record.
Photos:
Photo by Rod Thornburg/Special to the Californian
Liberty High’s Justin Kraetsch gives a thumbs pu to one of his competitors after winning the 100-yard freestyle at the South Yosemite League Conference meet Saturday at Cal State Bakersfield. Kraetsch won in a time of 49.06.
Stockdale High junior Dan Wickensheimer won the boys 100-yard butterfly in 51.50, more than two seconds slower than the meet record.
But that mark was the only swim of the day that reached All-American consideration status.
Even after the meet ended, spectators were talking about Wickensheimer’s performance and how he impressively pulled away from the pack. The 51.50 was a personal best by two seconds.
“When I touched and looked up at my time, I surprised myself,” said Wickensheimer, a junior who transferred to Stockdale earlier this school year from Indiana. “I never dreamed I could go that fast.”
Wickensheimer said he was focused on his top rival in the event, Michael Schwartz from Liberty, who took second in 53.84.
“Everyone was saying it was me against Michael Schwartz,” Wickensheimer said. “I had a feeling I was going to beat him.”
Stockdale cruised to the team titles in both the boys and girls competition. The Mustangs scored 474.5 points in the boys events with Liberty (350) a distant second.
In girls competition, Stockdale had 457 and Liberty was next with 367. Bakersfield High was third in both, scoring 299 in boys action and 342.5 for the girls.
“They surpassed my expectations,” Stockdale coach Adam Bledsoe said of both his teams. “We’re in a two-week taper (rest after vigorous workouts), and the biggest drop (in times) is the first week. I think we’ll drop a little more next week.”
That would be for the CIF Central Section Championships, which will be held at CSUB on Friday and Saturday.
There were six meet records set in boys competition. East High’s Griffin Bracke had two of them — beating his own records set last year in both events.
Bracke had a 2:00.85 in the 200 individual medley (his record was 2:01.05) and in the 100 breaststroke (1:00.57, compared to his 1:01.33).
Stockdale’s 200 medley relay team (1:40.72) bettered BHS’ previous record 1:42.37 set in 2004, Stockdale’s Jonathan Kim set the 100 backstroke record with a 55.06 (the previous record was 55.44); and Liberty had two relay teams set meet records: in the 200 freestyle relay (1:30.62) and in the 400 medley relay (3:19.32). Schwartz, Jordan Urmston, Mark Silvius and Justin Kraetsch were the foursome on both record-setting teams.
The girls had four meet records. Two were by Frontier sophomore Stevie Hughey.
Hughey had a 24.40 in the 50 free, topping the mark of 24.99 by Garces’ Christy Lebeau in 2005. And in the best girls race of the day, she nosed out previous record-holder Corri Payne of Stockdale in the 100 free.
Payne’s previous record was 54.26 set last year. Hughey had a 53.10 and Payne also bettered her previous record with a 54.07.
“I just want to swim my best race,” Hughey said, adding that she wasn’t aware of what the records were before Saturday’s competition. “Corri is one of my best friends. It’s fun to have someone push you.”
Payne echoed those comments.
“It was a really good race,” Payne said. “It’s great racing against Stevie.”
Payne, who holds many of the meet records, said her times aren’t as quick this year, so far.
“I’m just a little bit off my best,” she said. “I’m looking to do well (next week at the section meet).”
Emily Irvin of Stockdale also set two meet records, winning the 100 butterfly in 59.93 and the 100 breaststroke in 1:07.40. She also was on two of Stockdale’s winning relay teams.
“I knew what the records were but I didn’t know how I’d do,” Irvin said. “I was just praying for good races. …
“I tried not to think about it too much.”
Liberty’s Kraetsch was a double winner for the boys, in the 100 freestyle (49.06) and 200 free (1:49.16).
Karlee Grundeis of East was also a girls double-winner, in the 200 free (2:00.57) and 500 free (5:22.04).
