Alternate Ending

After an 18th finish in the 400 IM (second-alternate) and 17th place finish in the 100 Breast (first-alternate), we have an alternate to the alternate ending - how about the #3 seed going into finals of the 200 breaststroke?

Stephen swam in the first circle-seeded heat this morning and the results were good though he doesn't get style points for the swim. Admitting that he was, "freaking out" Stephen looked as awkward as a 6'4" 13-year old in ballet class in his first 50. He hit his stride though about 75 yards into the race and swam very impressively throughout the middle-half of the race. The final 50 wasn't easy - largely the effect of blowing out his first 50, but he got to the wall solidly this time - no soft finishes - in a new school and conference-record 2:00.90.

That puts him third going into tonight. He's got a faster swim in him and I think can make a run at a sub-2:00 swim. Of course, so too can about three other guys in there. Tonight he'll be sandwiched between the top seed, Alex Beyer and everyone's favorite guy to hate, defending champion Pavel Budanov. Steve's got it in him to go toe-to-toe with them so we'll see what happens.

NCAA's Day One

I'm reporting a day late considering the big meet started yesterday.
Today was Steve's first swim though so that's where we begin.
The meet has been beyond fast. Seemingly every national record has
fallen and the times needed to make it back at night would have
contended for top three just a couple of years ago. With that as a
backdrop today was a mix of agony and elation. Steve was in the first
heat of the 400 IM this morning and we had aims of shocking some
people. Steve did his job going a 4:02.50 which was a real good swim.
Actually it was an outstanding time that got him into the big heat at
night in Houston. Instead, we were the ones left shocked as heat
after heat went by and he slipped to 17th.
That's the type of thing that males this sport so bedeviling sometimes
and certainly was the case at conference. You swim well-In Steve's
case he had a breakthrough in the first half of his race-his weakest
area-then all that pride and that anticipation of doing even better at
night slowly sinks.
It can't take away everything that was good. Steve swam against the
fastest field in the fastest meet of NCAA history. The other thing
and this is something that I'm really excited about - is how Steve
didn't let it get to him and his focus On the next two days. This
wasn't always the case with him. I can remember times when he dreaded
his next race and doubted himself. That's not the case-he knows what
he's capable of, knows how well prepared he is and perfectly situated
for the next two days.
Of course there's also a big standard to live up to - our women. The
Lady Reds are on a tear. Amanda Croix became the second-highest
finisher in school history with her 3rd place 23.10 in the 50 free
(Jud Koenitzer was 2nd in the 50 on 1978) and Michelle Pelka finished
4th tonight I'm the 400 IM. If they continue on track they should
easily be top ten.
But hey, the relays are starting so it's time to get back. Steve is
already at dinner which will come as no suprise to anyone.
From sunny and WARM Minnesota,
GE

CCIW - Day II (Continued)

OK - got a power cord.

200 Freestyle - Last year Rip went in as the top seed only to get third. No doubt this year though - Rip led coast to coast along with teammate Kyle Winiecki. For Rip it broke the school record set hours earlier by Stephen. For Kyle it was a new lifetime best - leapfrogging him from the 1:46 range to 1:43 - no need for 1:44 or 1:45. Isaac also established a new lifetime best - knocking a 1/4 second off of his previous best to move into 4th. In the consol heat, Eric Ross established himself as the consol king. After a disappointing morning swim - he stormed back to drop nearly three seconds to go 1:47.50. We used prelims as a tryout for the fourth leg of our 800 Freestyle relay. The guys were impressive across the board. Dan Jones and Ryan Ortmann going 1:52.1 and 1:51.3 were probably the most shocking. Still, there were enough lifetime bests to go around - Adam Glover 1:49.6, Alex Boyer 1:49.3, Alex VanHuis 1:47.4, Pelka 1:47.2, Doug Schranck 1:46.9 and the winner for that fourth relay spot - Derek Schneider 1:45.31

100 Breaststroke - A night after the disappointment of the 200 IM, Stephen took back a little piece of history in the breaststroke. This was an event Wheaton had their eyes on and with good reson - Jon Nitz is fast. He's a sprinter though so when he and Stephen turned at the 50, I knew we had it - sure enough, Stephen came home in 29.79 to break Zach Jole's meet record with a 56.61. Andy slipped a spot - going 1:00.31 and bring an end to his breaststroke experiment. In Consols Adam Van Huis reached down into his sprint reserves to go a LTB 1:02.38. Mike Moravek was just back at 1:03.0 - not what we were aiming for, but good enough for 11th. We were excellent in our morning swims - Buck a 1:09, Alex VanHuis a 1:00.78 and a breakthrough swim for Ben Coder who bypassed the 1:02 zone, cruising in in 1:01.97.

100 Backstroke - After watching Varner go a 52.64 on Thursday's relay - expectations were high in the 100 and he came through again - this time going a 52.75 - a little off but still good enough for a 'B' cut and a nice second-place birthday present. Bob went a little faster at night, but never really look comfortable as we went a LTB 54.03. Pat, who snuck into finals, made it worthwhile - clocking his first sub-56 time! We didn't have anyone in consols - but did enjoy some good swims in the morning. Dan Jones won the latest Jones-Ortmann showdown 59.0 to 1:01.2. Clinton Scheirer also clocked a LTB 58.63 as did Tommy who took over a second off of his lifetime best - 56.64.

800 Freestyle Relay - OK - we're going to save the story of our 'C' relay for a little later. Let's just say we did some re-shuffling and had to go with our 5-8th 200 freestylers for the 'A' and even had to dip down to our 16th fastest guy to complete the 'B' team. That 'B' group didn't disappoint though - as they swam away with their heat - Blake 1:45.4, Glover 1:48.3, Eric a little slower 1:48.6 before Tom Stowe - he of a 1:55.5 lifetime best - splits 1:49.50. When it comes to the 'A' team, they too didn't disappoint as they posted a five-second win over Wheaton. Doug led it with a 1:45.55 while Isaac followed with his first-ever sub-1:46 split. Alex VanHuis continued with a 1:45 of his own before Bryan Pelka anchored in 1:45.18.

The win was especially enjoyable because it was essentially with our 'B' guys, but also because it was the first-ever conference title for Isaac Rothenbaum - a guy who didn't make our scoring team last season, and a relay title for Bryan and Alex - a first for both.

Carthage Senior Class

Today’s Carthage bids farewell to the most decorated class in school history. These five young men have tallied twenty-two CCIW titles, seven CCIW Open and Championship records, nine All-American certificates, and seven Academic All-American awards. As much of an impact as they’ve left on conference, pool and school record boards, they’ve also made a significant contribution to the ethic and culture of Carthage swimming and we’d like to recognize them briefly here today.

We begin with one of the most accomplished butterfliers in conference history – Bryce Davis. In his career thus far, Bryce is a twelve-time CCIW Champion and two-time NCAA Qualifier. As a freshman, he earned All-American recognition as a part of the 200 Freestyle Relay and last qualified individually in the 50, 100 freestyle and 100 butterfly. A month prior, Bryce established CCIW Championship records in all three events en route to being named the conference Most Valuable Performer. Bryce is also the 2006 Carthage Captain’s Biathalon Champion. A deep thinker, Bryce is a double major in philosophy and psychology and two-time member of the Carthage athletic director’s honor roll. In the history of the CCIW three men have won the 100 fly three times – next month Bryce could become the first to win the event four times. Ladies and gentlemen, Bryce Davis.

Next we celebrate Chris Steenrod. As a freshman Chris was not selected as a scorer to the a very deep conference team. Still, he posted times that would have scored. Since then, the Freeport, Illinois native has developed a valuable contributor having reached the conference finals on five different occasions. Chris has proven one of the most versatile performers in Carthage history – he ranks among Carthage all-time Top-25 list in six different events including the 1650 where he currently ranks 13th – ten spots ahead of his father Dave Steenrod. Chris was named a member of this year’s homecoming court – something big brother Andy couldn’t match. A psychology major, Chris has twice been named to the Carthage dean’s list and is a three-time member of the Carthage athletic director’s honor roll. Ladies and gentlemen, Chris Steenrod.


Our third senior, Bryan Pelka will graduate this spring as the greatest distance swimmer in CCIW history and why not – nobody has ever been faster in the 1000 or 1650 freestyle. Bryan is a two-time honorable mention All-American in the mile. On the conference level he has won three individual events and finalled nine different times. His academic resume is as impressive as his performance in the pool. He is a three time CSCAA Academic All-American and two-time CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Second Team All-Academic honoree. He was the 2007 CCIW “Jack Swartz All-Academic Award Winner” and will soon be nominated for a NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship. Ladies and gentlemen, Bryan Pelka

Andy Bax leaves us as one of Carthage’s most valuable and consistent sprinters. No swimmer has split under 21.0 seconds more times than Andy has in his time here and he will likely be remembered as one of the best sprint breaststrokers in school history. Andy is an eight-time CCIW Finallist and five-time CCIW Champion, including an individual win in the 50-freestyle. Andy has achieved five different NCAA consideration times and last season was recognized by the College Coaches Association as an Academic All-American. A double major in elementary and special education, Andy is a three-time member of the Carthage athletic director’s honor roll, member of the dean’s list and, along with Chris was a member of the homecoming court. Ladies & gentlemen, Andy Bax.

Our final senior today is Stephen Schranck. Nationally, Stephen has garnered more attention than any other swimmer in Carthage history. He has earned All-American or Honorable Mention All-American recognition on six different occasions – the second most in school history. On the conference level, Stephen won four individual and six relay titles in spite of often swimming off events for the team. In fact, in 2007 failed to win a single individual CCIW title, but was still recognized by Carthage as its Athlete of the Year. A double major in accounting and business administration, Stephen is a three-time CSCAA Academic All-American and has swum the 14th fastest 200 breaststroke in NCAA History. Ladies & gentlemen, Stephen Schranck.

Day 8: A Day at the Beach

Day 8 was a day that left many Red Men swimmers just that. It was our latest start to a day that we have had thus far. Waking up after 8 AM was a nice treat. After a late wake up call we headed down to the lobby for breakfast. When I opened the breakfast surprise holder and saw the french toast sticks, I knew it was a good day. After breakfast we boarded the vans and headed for the beach, not sure what to expect. It was another rough ride with Guy at the wheel, but we arrived at the beach in one piece. This was the day that would validate our trip to Florida with our "competition" with the University of Cincinnati.

We knew we would be doing a biathlon consisting of a swim in the Gulf and a run along shore, but it ended up being shorter than expected. After completing the swim of about 800 yards and running back to our stuff, we prepared for dryland. The dryland was made even more difficult by the fact that Cincinnati was playing frisbee and volleyball and building sand castles.

We were told by Greg to be prepared to "get sand in places we didn't know we had places." Our dryland consisted of 4 stations. One was led by Tom where he took us through a rendition of Cats and monkey dance. Another station was led by Greg where we were forced to crawl through the sand and do med ball exercises in the Gulf. The other two stations were med ball ultimate with Beth accompanied with abs on the side. My team was beyond exceptional, led by the powerful duo of Blake and Ortmann.

After surviving the dryland we were free to enjoy a day at the beach. The Siesta Beach was much nicer than the beach we had previously visited on multiple occasions. This beach had some really choice sand. I was excited to be able to spend the day with a friend of mine from Cincinnati. Other highlights from the day included Clinton's sand sculpture of a mermaid and the friendship mound.

We stayed at the beach forever, perhaps a little too long, we got copious amounts of sun and some neglected to apply proper amounts of sunscreen. Some left the beach at 2:00, while a few of us stayed until 4:00. I chose to stay until 4:00 which was a decision I began to regret around 3:00. We returned to the hotel just as the women's team was leaving for the pool, which only enhanced the great feeling of our day off. Back at the hotel we lounged around for the rest of the day and applied great amounts of aloe. There were multiple visits to the Splash store, where many steals were made on some great Venice attire. Much to our dismay, we missed the complementary cookies for the first night since we have been here. It really took away from the day that had so far been really great. After Stephen prepared another wonderful dinner for the two of us, we then proceeded with our nightly routine of whooping up on Alex Van Huis and Steenrod in some Euchre. As we look ahead at the 2 days that separate us from being at home celebrating Christmas with our families and friends we anticipate that it will be extremely difficult, but after the challenges we have sustained thus far, we know that it is nothing we cannot handle.

Sea of Red

Look at the sea of Red at the Kiefer/Speedo booth at Olympic Trials. As you pass through the aisles, you'll see a lot of Carthage Red (unless its the blue, or grey day). They're working long hours, getting great seats and meeting lots of swimming's biggest stars (and their parents).

Final Wrap-Up

It's been a mixed weekend, but we went out on a positive note tonight. We moved up eight spots to 32nd, even topped a couple of teams that had relays here. In the 200 back, Kyle - after going out like a bat out hell this morning, went out a little more conservatively tonight - that conservation ran into the second 100 though as he added time and dropped a spot.

In the breaststroke, Steve was a little gassed this morning and to be honest, I gave him a lot more rest than years past (especially after watching our outstanding swims at Conference where we really rested the guys). So going into tonight, we talked about a couple of ways to approach the race - either swim to our level of conditioning (i.e. take it out a little smoother) or just lay it all on the line and see what happens. Steve did both - he backed off a little more on the 1st hundred - so much so I wasn't sure he'd come back that fast. He controlled the race though and as he got a challenge from JHU's Keggelman he went to the gut check and brought it home the way he's used to.

Regarding Keggelman - he was one of three Hopkins' swimmers in tonight's breaststroke (two in top eight). Last summer their coach, George Kennedy, a legend and a guy I really look up to, made it a point to pepper me with questions about how we'd trained our breaststrokers last year. It was kind of odd, to have George Kennedy ask ME about training kids. Well, after watching two JHU guys knock Steve into consols, I'm thinking - no more advice.

All-in-all I was really proud of this group of guys. We had some unfulfilled goals, but the meet was unbelievably fast. I don't know how many records were set, but every single event (with the exception of the 200 back) was the deepest and most experienced field in NCAA history. In fact, on the first night just FOUR freshmen even made it back at night. While we'd hoped for top-20 and perhaps an individual title, we more than held our own. Others who didn't bring their 'A' game found themselves on the canvas. It's scary and exciting to see what we can (and what we have to) do in the year ahead. We've got some great things ahead, but in the words of Will Rogers, "Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there."

On behalf of the guys thanks to everyone for their support this week.

Day Two

Today was the start of Stephen Schranck's and Kyle Drake's competition. Both were excited as they steped up for their first event in the 400IM. Both swam impressive times as they went one two in their heat. Steve swam a 4:02.77 and Kyle swam a personal best of 4:07.02. I swam my 3rd best time of the season in the 100fly in 50.8. Kyle Drake posted another personal best in the 100back in 52.88. Stephen Schranck posted his second best time of the season in the 100breastroke in 58.02. Hopes are high going into Saturdays competition as Drake, Schrank and I ready ourselves to swim our best events tomorrow. I am prepared to swim fast in the 100free, Drake in the 200back and Schrank in the 200breast. Schranck got 4th in that event last year and hopes to move up the totem poll. Tomorrow Drake is looking to be under 1:52.46, which is his personal best, which he posted at Carthage College's TYR Classic meet in december. I am hoping to be under my personal best time of 45.58. We look forward to tomorrow's competition.

Springtime in Oxford!

Well we arrived in Oxford tonight. We got a later start than expected. You see it's Carthage swimming tradition to stop at the Big Star Drive In for a greasy burger and chocolate shake before leaving with nationals. It started with Geno Halpin before the 2003 Paralympic National Championships and continues to this day. Problem was - they don't open until 11:00. How popular is it? We got there at 11:05 and there were already a dozen cars in the lot.

The drive down went faster than I'd expected, though it helps to return all of the phone calls you've neglected for days (or weeks). All day it was foggy, drizzly and grey. By the time we got to Oxford it turned to pouring rain and since we were all wet, we decided the pool would be the first stop. The pool's great though Steve didn't like the locker room, Bryce didn't like the stairs and Kyle, well, Kyle was still happy that he was able to find all kinds of junk food for less than a dollar in some Indiana rest stop vending machine.

Coaches are definitely in love with the Miami pool. They'd use revererent tones when talking about it and say things like, "Is this your first time here?" Answer: No, but my first NCAA's here. Truth was when I was at IU, the fast kids would go to the US Open and I'd take the rest to the Miami Invite. It was funny because Jim Steen would brag how their Kenyon teams would come in and clean up over Division I teams "like IU." I never had the heart to tell him I was usually taking the scrubs. Anyway, it is a fine pool and if the meet is anything like the women's meet last week will prove incredibly fast.

After an easy swim to work out the kinks it was off to La Rosa. We wanted to test it out to see if it would be a good option for Thursday and Friday night. The sauce on my lasanga was a bit tangy and Chef-Boyardeesque, and we thought it odd that the "house" dressing at an Italian restaurant was ranch, but overall it received thumbs up from the guys.

Then it was across the street to get some items. This Kroger had everything including a five- piece patio set. The sign above the set said "Springtime in Oxford" which was somewhat ironic considering the fact it's been raining cats and dogs and we're currently under a flash-flood warning.

Afterwards we FINALLY made it to our hotel, I mean resort, well, how about just the lodge. We're staying at the Hueston Woods State Park Resort and Conference Center. It's rustic and cozy, though we are staying in the lodge, not the cabins. When I told the guys where we were staying, I think they were nervous that we were going to staying in something like the platform tents from this fall's team retreat. Nope, this place is warm and cozy and I'm told that our rooms overlook a beautiful lake, but then again the rain has cut visibility down to about the edge of the deck. Come to think of it, with that flash flood warning, I shoud give some thought to moving to the second floor.

That's all for one night. I'll see if I can get the guys to contribute some on their own, though its going to be pretty tough to follow the standard set by eighdolla holla and c-rizz

It's Not the Size of the Dog in the Fight...

...it's the size of the fight in the dog. - Mark Twain.

Three qualifiers - that's what Carthage will take to the deepest NCAA Division III Championships in history. Stephen Schranck, Kyle Drake and Byrce Davis all qualified on their own merits. The relays came up just short - 400 Medley Relay by 1.29 seconds, 200 Medley Relay by 1.23, and 200 Free Relay by 0.21 seconds. Bryan Pelka, who qualified for the mile in 16:15 as a freshman and 16:10 as a sophomore, went 16:04 this year - and missed qualifying by 1.28 seconds - that's 0.07 seconds per 100. Add all of those up and just 4.01 seconds separated us from qualifying eight guys instead of three.

If it wasn't so painfully true, the meet would be unbelievably fast. Except for the 200 backstroke, every single event posted the fastest qualifying time in NCAA history. How fast? Three years ago, just three guys went under 21 seconds in the 50 free. This year over thirty did and those slower than 20.89 didn't even qualify. The 200 breaststroke? We thought Stephen was in at 2:05.51 and he was (Phew!) but only by 0.43 seconds.

Because it traditionally takes a full taper for most guys to qualify, the NCAA Championship typically only produces about 60% improvement on seed times. With such incredibly fast times needed just to qualify, I'm going to predict that fewer than half of the swimmers entered improve their times.

So three qualifiers it is. That didn't stop us from beating out teams with relays last year. In fact, if the meet goes as I predict, we're going to be just fine. Two of our three guys haven't had a full rest yet, and the third - well, he's a sprinter and so damn competitive you don't need to worry - you know he'll be there. Like Twain said.

We'll find out in 312 hours.

Pool Records, Learning Highlight Start of the Season

They say the best thing about freshmen is that they turn into Sophomores. With our first meet under our belt, that was never more evident than today. There are a lot of different thoughts running and I’ll try to collect them here. I’ll confess, that my attention might be distracted. It pains me that so many college kids have never been exposed to some of the great works of American Cinema. So today, for the return trip I made sure to bring along one of the classics – Blazing Saddles.

But I digress. Here are the quick thoughts on today’s 162-132 loss for the good guys. First thought – we have a team that can be VERY good. Second thought – we’ve got a LOT TO LEARN. When horn sounded, Wabash was ready to pounce while we were still getting our bearings. By mid meet, the Little Giants had built up a 40+ point lead. By the back half though, we’d begun to hit our stride. Mistakes made in the early races were corrected in the second half. By the end, we’d made a meet of it. Some highlights:

• Andy Bax, Nathan Ripley, Jeff Walkotten and Bryce Davis equalled the fastest unrested 400 free relay in school history (12th fastest all time)
• Kyle Drake jumped onto the top-ten list in the 100 (5th) and 200 (6th) backstrokes.
• Derek Schneider became the 7th fastest 1000 freestyler in school history.
• The 200 Medley relay of Kyle Drake, Schranck, Bax and Davis was the 11th fastest in school history and second-fastest unrested ever.
  

A lot of credit goes to Wabash. They competed tough and as always, were a classy bunch to race against. In a lot of years we’d start with an easier opponent. The problem with those meets is they don’t really expose your weaknesses. They don't make you a better team. This year’s schedule is the toughest we’ve ever faced – five top-25 teams, two more conference champions and 4-5 Division I & II schools – but its one that I think will prepare us well for February and March. Wabash, for instance, is one of the teams that we’ll be battling for relay spots with and by the time we reach the CCIW and NCAA Championships, we should be well rehearsed for some great performances.

Two New Team LC Records!

This just in! Stephen Schrank just defended his 200 Breaststroke title at Sectionals in Oklahoma City. In the morning he went 2:25.86 to take 1/2 second off of his team long course record. He also established a new team record in the 200 freestyle - though the record still isn't under 2:00 (he says he'll lead off the relay though so we've got another shot).

Up in Minnesota, incoming freshman Kyle Drake went under Nathaniel Chapman's long course 100 backstroke team mark. Fellow incoming freshman Bob Pellican went a lifetime best in at the same meet. Chappy gets to keep his mark though since Kyle hasn't officially represented us yet. He also went a lifetime best 4:55.36 in his 400 IM. We're all to familiar with the Drake family. At the NCAA Championships Kyle's brother Kenton finished 7th in the 200 breaststroke, just behind Stephen (4th) and Zach (5th).

Gotta get back on the recruiting road. I'm in Minneapolis, Dani's in Indiana. Next stops after this will be Wisconsin state, Seniors and Juniors.

Top Honors

Just got word today that the Carthage Red Men posted a 3.23 GPA - the highest since we had just nine guys on the team back in 2002. Fully a dozen of our fourteen guys made the AD's Honor Roll for GPA's above 3.0. This represents the 11th consecutive semester and extends a sixteen-year run of Academic All-Americans as a team and extends a sixteen-year streak begun under Sue Nutty. By next week we should know where we rank in the nation.

Named Academic All-American were Bryan Pelka (who was also named to the ESPN The Magazine All-District Team), Stephen Schranck, Zach Jole and Nathan Fisher (right). Andy Bax and Bryce Davis were near misses but made the AD Honor Roll.

Also on the roll were: Jeremy Brandt, Paul Bustion, Scott Kaseska, Chris Steenrod, Chris Trella, and Alex Van Huis. No perfect 4.0's around, so we'll have to settle with Bryan and Alex at mere 3.92's.

Huge Night for the Red Men

Fantastic - that's the only way to describe tonight. Our fourth All-American in school history - fourteenth and fiftheenth honrable mentions, a pair of school records but most of all a learning experience.

Sure we scored a lot of points yesterday, just ten shy of our team NCAA record, but most importantly I think the guys realized what you need to do in this type of meet. Stephen did it in Prelims. He shied away from it at night (but hey he still moved up). No worries, he learned from it. Zach came up a little short in the morning, but learned and he and Steve dominated the consol heat. As he knows, though, it's far more fun to be on a lower step of the champ heat than the top step of the consol heat. That gets you one of those little pieces of wood (above).

BIG MORNING

What a morning ! Three swims in the morning lead to three more tonight.

400 IM - All season we've been getting him to push his limits further and not back away when things get tough. Before his race this morning I simply said, "You're going to have to make it hurt a little." About 4:02.05 later he told me, "That hurt a LOT." Here's what's amazing - that's what it took just to make top eight. A "Methodical" swim was how one coach described it.

100 Breast - Zach got out to an early lead in the first circle-seeded heat 11.1 from foot to had in his first 25. That was just a little too quick as it turned out as he labored hard in the final 15 yards. He won the heat, but as has been the norm at this meet, the next heat was blisteringly fast. Zach went a 56.98 to qualify 10th. Zach has stood atop the podium before (last year's Consolation 400 Medley Relay) and I think with a little more control he can again tonight. I just can't believe that a 56.9 didn't make top eight. I was suprised a second time when Stephen swam his 100 breast. He went a lifetime best - 57.45 but the way 56's were flying up on the board, I didn't think he made it back. Good thing I checked the official results - he made it back - 15th - outside smoke again. Here's what's crazy, if he would have gone that same time, he'd have qualified 7th at the Division II meet.

The day wasn't perfect, but I haven't seen a perfect session yet - Kenyon yesterday morning was as close as it comes and the DQed a relay - but this was a fantastic morning.

I do have a gripe though. It concerns the NCAA qualifiying procedures that deny some of the best relays in the country an opportunity to compete at the national championships. Three cases in point - our 200 Free Relay - would have qualified 14th, 400 Medley Relay 13th, and 200 Medley Relay 12th. I don't want to complain - we simply have to go faster in season, but it's infuriating to see a 3:31 medley relay make it back when you know you've got a team that's been 3:28. (Of course a couple of years ago a 3:39 made it back and our 'C' relay that year was 3:40.
Alumnus
OK - got to get back to the business at hand - March Madness. TV's tuned to Wisconsin's drubbing at the hands of Corpus Cristi while the laptop's got my hometown team - Creighton - can hold off Nevada. I just dropped to third on the Team Bracket. Alumnus Brad Wipfli's got the early reed with Justin Reeder a close second. Of course he'll go down now that Wintrhop just dumped the Irish. Hope these games finish before we leave for finals.

More Props the Red Men

The recognition just keeps coming - Stephen Schranck was named National Collegiate Swimmer of the Week by CollegeSwimming.com [Link to Article] for his swims against Northwestern. Those swims were highlighted by a 2:07.9 in the breaststroke and 1:58.3 in the 200 IM. The coolest part? Between this and getting in Sports Illustrated last fall - Steve's been getting fan mail. How cool is that?

As if that wasn't enough Chris Trella earned CCIW Swimmer of the Week after his performance against Lawrence and North Central. CT anchored both winning relays and finished second in the 100-yard butterfly. And another thing, Trella led the junior class with the highest fall semester GPA (3.53) among all four of the team’s graduating classes. The only problem? Chris' a little too-humble. He was almost embarassed when I told him.

Oh and for anyone thinks that because I'm owner of CollegeSwimming.com I get some kind of special treatment - not true. If I did get to vote for the award, believe me, Bryan Pelka, not some guy from SUNY-Geneseo would have won this week! We also nominated Zach Jole back in October, but he didn't get it then.-GE

Not Just Another Pretty Face

Go out and buy next week's Sports Illustrated - the sportsman of the year issue. Open it up and you'll see our own Stephen Schranck listed as one of the faces in the crowd. Its funny what that type of exposure can do for you. People still come up to me four years later and say, "I heard you on Car Talk..." But this, this is some nice recognition. Anyhow, this is what they say:

Stephen Schranck

ALTON, ILL. > Swimming

Schranck, a sophomore at Carthage College, won the 200-yard breaststroke in a pool-record time of 2:09.46, and also won the 400-yard individual medley and the 500-yard freestyle, at the Wabash College Invitational. In his fourth event, the 100-yard breaststroke, he finished second.

Funny thing - that week he didn't even win the CCIW or CollegeSwimming.com Swimmers-of-the-Week and at last week's TYR/CollegeSwimming.com Classic, he was about five seconds faster in the 200. We're not complaining though - just proud to see one of our own recognized. Way to go Steve!

Ten Records Set in Long Course Season

With Sectionals wrapping up in Minneapolis and Columbia this weekend, three rising sophomores have been making their mark on the Carthage long course record board. Stephen Schranck, Bryce Davis and Bryan Pelka tallied eight school records this past weekend.

Certainly the highlight has to be Stephen's Sectional Championship in the 200 Breaststroke last Wednesday. He followed it up on Friday with a second-place finish in the 100 Breaststroke. Both swims broke the previous bests set by Henry Somers at the 2003 Janet Evans Invitational.

Here's an updated list of Carthage's long-course records:

50 Free	25.27	Davis, Bryce	8/7/2006	Senior State-Wisconsin
100 Free	54.65	Somers, Henry	7/24/2003	Sectionals-Minnesota
200 Free	2:02.24	Schranck, Stephen	7/19/2006	Region 8 Zones
400 Free	4:19.18	Pelka, Bryan	7/20/2006	Sectionals-Minnesota
800 Free	8:53.06	Pelka, Bryan	7/20/2006	Sectionals-Minnesota
1500 Free	16:58.65	Pelka, Bryan	7/20/2006	Sectionals-Minnesota
100 Back	1:02.90	Chapman, Nathaniel	7/24/2003	Sectionals-Bloomington
200 Back	2:15.23	Chapman, Nathaniel	7/24/2003	Sectionals-Bloomington
100 Breast	1:07.15	Schranck, Stephen	7/19/2006	Region 8 Zones
200 Breast	2:26.29	Schranck, Stephen	7/19/2006	Region 8 Zones
100 Fly	59.16	Davis, Bryce	8/6/2006	Senior State
200 Fly	2:12.01	Pelka, Bryan	7/20/2006	Sectionals-Minnesota
200 IM	2:16.58	Schranck, Stephen	7/19/2006	Region 8 Zones
400 IM	4:49.76	Chapman, Nathaniel	7/23/2004	Indiana Senior State