News and Notes - August 12th
-- Holt Aquatics 2.0 (bigger and better) is here! Pat
Schooley has built a great site that will cover both
Holt Rams Swimming and Diving teams this season.
Holtaquatics.net can be at this location...(link)
This site (holtaquatics.com) will remain open until the
end of 2008 to ensure all of the family and fans of our
Holt Rams locate the new website.
There will be no new updates on this website.
-- 2008-09 State Cut Times (link)
-- Bejing Olympic Swimming Schedule and Results (link)
(12 hour difference)
-- Video of the most exciting relay in Olympic
history - last night's thrilling men's 400
meter relay. (link)
-- "Top 10" relay times from the past 20 years
(special thanks to Coach Bryan!!)
Boys (link)
Girls (link)
Zach races to 54.13 100 Fly!!!
3/13/08
Tonight at the 13 & over state meet held at Jenison,
Zach Burgess smashed his personal best set earlier in the
day (55.26). He placed 5th in the Consolation final with his
quick 54.13. Though not set during the high school season,
only TWO Holt swimmers have EVER posted a faster 100 fly time.
In the process, he defeated Regan of Eastern, Kohler of Okemos,
and Hesche of Jackson. Way to go Zach!!
Additional Ram results:
Nate - 1:03.03 100 breaststroke (under the D1 state cut standard)
Kelsie - was part of the 400IM relay and lead off with a 1:00.92 back...
4 CAST-MI 'A' 4:05.81 4:06.81 SECT 30
1) Schooley, Kelsie R 17 2) Batchelor, Madison C 15
3) Dudley, Lauren E 15 4) Marsh, Amelia L 16
28.94 1:00.92 (1:00.92)
1:33.17 (32.25) 2:11.24 (1:10.32)
2:39.73 (28.49) 3:13.25 (1:02.01)
3:38.86 (25.61) 4:06.81 (53.56)
Matt Morgan teamed up with Nate, Zach, and EJ Kohler of Okemos in the
400IM relay...
10 CAST-MI 'A' 3:44.63 3:47.32 Q1 14
1) Morgan, Matthew M 16 2) Robinson, Nate C 18
3) Kohler, Eric-John 18 4) Burgess, Zach A 17
28.38 58.42 (58.42)
1:27.69 (29.27) 2:02.49 (1:04.07)
2:27.89 (25.40) 2:57.85 (55.36)
3:21.43 (23.58) 3:47.32 (49.47)
6 CAST-MI 'A' 7:54.38 8:03.12 SECT 26
1) Schooley, Kelsie R 17 2) Dudley, Lauren E 15
3) Marsh, Amelia L 16 4) Oricchio, Tiffany S 16
27.36 58.99 (58.99)
1:31.13 (1:31.13) 2:02.00 (2:02.00)
2:29.72 (27.72) 3:00.97 (58.97)
3:32.30 (1:30.30) 4:03.23 (2:01.23)
4:30.30 (27.07) 5:00.56 (57.33)
5:31.93 (1:28.70) 6:03.15 (1:59.92)
6:30.12 (26.97) 7:00.59 (57.44)
7:31.77 (1:28.62) 8:03.12 (1:59.97)
13 CAST-MI 'A' 7:28.40 7:35.30 Q1 8
1) Burgess, Zach A 17 2) Marsh, Jacob W 17
3) Kohler, Eric-John 18 4) Robinson, Nate C 18
25.22 52.99 (52.99)
1:22.25 (1:22.25) 1:51.22 (1:51.22)
2:17.44 (26.22) 2:47.07 (55.85)
3:18.15 (1:26.93) 3:48.59 (1:57.37)
4:13.87 (25.28) 4:43.09 (54.50)
5:13.07 (1:24.48) 5:42.67 (1:54.08)
6:07.06 (24.39) 6:35.41 (52.74)
7:05.34 (1:22.67) 7:35.30 (1:52.63)
7 Schooley, Kelsi 17 CAST-MI 24.52 24.46 SECT 12 (50 free finals)
14 Burgess, Zach A 17 CAST-MI 22.69 22.80 AAA 3 (50 free finals)
23 Burgess, Zach A 17 CAST-MI 49.69 49.98 AAA (100 free prelims)
23.88 49.98 (26.10)
6 Schooley, Kelsi 17 CAST-MI 51.94 53.55 SECT (100 free prelims)
25.86 53.55 (27.69)
Pictures from the Rams season
3/13/08
At the link below, you will find pictures from
the Okemos meet, Jackson meet, Alma meet, Mason
meet, and the CAAC meet. Just click on a photo to
enlarge and print.
LINK
Girl's parents...if you have any pictures that you would like posted,
just let me know.
Rams well represented
on 2008 Zone Team!
3/11/08
(From Brent) Tonight the area coaches met to select the MISCA Zone 7 Team
and our guys were well represented. We continued to dominate diving as
Cody and Trista repeated as Diver of the Year and Diving Coach of
the Year.
Our First Team selections were Kyle Lucas, Zach Burgess, Danton Thon,
Nate Robinson, and Kyle Winsor. Junior Matt Morgan was named to the
second team. David Warner, Mitch Fisher, and Gabe Murley were given
Honorable Mention.
Zone 7 Team (link)
End of season thoughts...
3/9/08
1. Our seniors. Has a group of swimmers and divers in the history
of Holt ever had a greater impact throughout their four years???
From the moment they competed as freshmen, they were scoring points.
It is not surprising that they never lost a conference dual meet and
won four conference championships. They went out in style yesterday
and the only negative was the fact that fellow senior, David Warner,
had to miss the state meet due to illness.
2. Holt will be in a true rebuilding phase next year for the first time
in many years. I think this is an opportunity for Brent to surprise some
teams next year as not much will be expected of them. The key will
be recruiting more students to join the team, not only incoming freshmen.
There are more "Steves" walking the halls of Holt high (Steve was our
22.7 sprinter who came out as a senior a few years back). Brent is at
the end of the line for some great Holt swim families, but now is the
time to find new "swim families" to keep the tradition of excellence
going strong.
3. The Huron effect...Ann Arbor Huron was 18th at the state meet last year
and one year later they are hoisting the state championship trophy. This
should be a motivator for many athletes and coaches around the state.
Amazing story. You may think I am crazy, but I think Holt has the resources
to eventually do this also. Heck, Battle Creek won the D2 meet over traditional
power Zeeland.
4. The CAAC Blue teams are amazingly young. Outside of the Okemos and Holt
seniors, the Saturday conference finals were primarily underclassmen. Should
be exciting next season.
5. Alma again had an amazing state meet (2nd in D3). Their time drops at
the state meet are amazing year after year. Congratulations to Nathan Hesche
- 3rd in the D1 100 back in 52.50. He led through 80 yards. Congratulations to
Garrett Greenland - 3rd in the D1 100 breast in 58.96. Congratulations to
the Okemos 200 medley relay - broke 1:42 at the D2 state meet.
6. Morgan Priestly of Seaholm (D2) once again broke 1:36 in the 200 free
yesterday in the finals and had a sub 45 anchor on the 400 relay. It will
be fun to follow his results at Stanford next year (and Frutigers at
Northwestern). Word is he (Morgan) is swimming the 500 free in a few
weeks at Y Nationals. Should be interesting to see if he can go below
4:30.
7. D1 winner in both the 200 free and 500 free this past weekend,
Dan Thurston of Huron, was only 14th in the 200 free last year
and did not qualify for the Saturday finals in the 500 free. Just
gotta believe!!!
Next up is the end of year team banquet. Holt has a great deal to celebrate
and I'm sure it will be hard saying goodbye to an OUTSTANDING group of seniors!
Rams take 12th overall!
Cody places 4th in diving!!
3/8/08
MHSAA results (all classes) (Link)
(Nice wrap-up from Brent)...Hello Ram Fans, it's hard to believe,
but another great year of Holt Swimming & Diving came to a close
today at Oakland University. Just as the girl's team did in the Fall,
our boys added another exciting chapter to the History of Holt Swimming
& Diving with their highest State Meet finish ever.
Although we qualified all three relays and a few individuals, our
guys were a little disappointed after Friday's prelims. We stressed
to our seniors the importance of having fun and making your last day
as a Holt Ram swimmer something to remember.
Our seniors did just that. Our Medley Relay, which started the meet
seeded last, moved up from 14th to 11th. Junior Matt Morgan started
us off with a lifetime best backstroke split of 26.6 and then Nate
Robinson, Zach Burgess, and Danton Thon finished the job.
Our Hero of the Meet would have to be diver Cody Schwem. After
twisting his back earlier in the week, Cody could barely stand before
the diving started. He was able to complete his final three dives
and finish in 4th place (Imagine what he would have done 100% healthy!).
Kyle Lucas got the second half off to a roaring start by moving from
16th to 11th in the 100 Freestyle with his first ever 48! Our 200
Freestyle Relay with Zach, Danton, Kyle, and Nate went slightly faster
than yesterday for a 12th place finish. (In the final event) Zach,
Nate, Danton, and Kyle dropped from a 3:19.60 to a 3:17.14 and a 10th
place finish in the 400 Freestyle Relay. In the end, we tied for
12th place which is the highest finish ever for our boys at the state meet.
All 3 relays advance!
Zach Burgess and Kyle Lucas
also in 100 free!!
Cody in 2nd after semis!!!
3/7/08
Zach advances with a PB 49.56 and Kyle close behind.
Three relays also in Consolation Finals on Saturday.
D1 prelim results (Link)
D2 prelim results (Link)
D3 prelim results (Link)
Morgan Priestly of Seaholm (D2) set an all-time MI record in the 200 free
in 1:35.85 breaking the old mark by a second!!! His FIRST 100 was in 46.6!
He also led off the 200 free relay in 20.9 and the 400 free relay in 45.2.
He will swim for Stanford next year. Stanford is ranked 3rd in the country
and they have ONE swimmer who has recorded a faster 200 free time!
Frutiger of Alma goes 4:32 in 500 free in D3.
Good luck Rams!!!
Prelims begin Friday
at Oakland
3/6/08
STATE QUALIFIERS:
100 Back - Matt Morgan 100 Free - Zach Burgess
200IM - Nate Robinson 100 Free - Kyle Lucas
Diving - Cody Schwem 50 Free - Kyle Lucas
Diving - Kyle Winsor All 3 Relays
Prelim results should be available Friday evening
at the same link as the psyche sheets (below).
Rams move into All-Time Top Ten
2/24/08
200 Free - Danton Thon, 1:50.17 - 10th
500 Free - Danton Thon, 5:01.98 - 9th
100 Back - Matt Morgan, 56.88 - 8th
100 Breast - Nate Robinson, 1:03.93 - 8th
Diving - Cody Schwem 447.40 - 2nd
Diving - Kyle Winsor 407.35 - 5th
Team Rankings...2008 CAAC Blue
Team Rankings...looking ahead to 2009
2/24/08
2008 CAAC Blue Scores 2008 (w/ seniors points
removed from all events)
1. Okemos 453 1. Jackson 283
2. Holt 441 2. Okemos 249
3. Jackson 290 3. Grand Ledge 236
4. East Lansing 257 4. East Lansing 196
5. Grand Ledge 250 5. Everett 143
6. Everett 223 6. Holt 131
7. Eastern 122 7. Eastern 80.5
The second column can be deceptive. It takes all senior scoring
out of the 2008 meet. For example Holt loses 80 points from
the last two relays because both relays were all seniors. It is not
realistic that they be given 0 points for 2009 for both relays. This
applies to other teams as well.
The scoring column below for 2009 only takes into account
senior points lost from individual events, not relays.
Still not extremely accurate, but it will provide a look
at who will be strong next season (not counting incoming
freshman).
1. Okemos 303
2. Jackson 283
3. Grand Ledge 236
4. Holt 227
5. East Lansing 219
6. Everett 171
7. Eastern 93
Summary...Jackson looks to be in the driver's seat for 2009
because they lose only 7 points from this year's CAAC meet.
Behind them, it looks like Okemos, then Grand Ledge with
East Lansing not far behind. Holt needs a large incoming
freshman class in order to move up.
As for potential scorers (underclassmen) who swam prelims
but did not score points on Saturday, I would rank the
these teams in order of "greatest potential" to pick up
points in 2009 from current 2008 team members:
1. Grand Ledge
2. Okemos
3. East Lansing
4. Jackson
My predicition...a three team race to the wire between Okemos,
Grand Ledge, and Jackson. The dual meet season, in addition to
the conference meet, will be very entertaining!
(I know what you are thinking, but it is a really slow
Sunday and if I continue at this I avoid being asked to
help with laundry!!)
CAAC Blue is...
MAROON today!
Okemos depth impressive;
Rams seniors tear it up!
Both teams share CAAC Blue league title
LSJ Sunday write-up...(Link)
Photo album on right side of page
Finals Results (Link)
2/24/08
With four events to go in the meet, it was becoming known among
the Okemos fans in attendance that victory was within sight. Strong
performances in the 500 free, 100 back, and 100 breast built an
insurmountable lead going into the last event - the 400 free relay.
A second place in the relay gave them the meet title with 453 points followed
closely by our Holt Rams at 441 - just 12 points behind. Overall,
their depth in the consolation events (and the A 500 free final)
was too much to overcome. They won one event, the 200 medley relay, versus
Holt's SEVEN wins. Congratulations to Okemos on a well deserved victory.
More on Sunday...especially about our numerous personal bests and
state cuts. The seniors really left their last big meet at Holt with
some OUTSTANDING swims (and dives).
200 Medley Relay - the foursome of Matt Morgan, Nate, Gabe Murley, and
David Warner recorded a state cut time of 1:45.01 for
third place. DW anchored in 22.45. Okemos won in 1:43.67.
Hesche of Jackson split 23.94 for his fly leg and Kohler
of Okemos split 24.29 on his fly leg.
200 Free - Danton Thon was amazing as he almost reeled in the winner,
John Fitzgerald of GL, with a PB time of 1:50.17. Mitch
Fisher and Dustin Haskell also swam very well; 1:55.17 for 6th
and 2:00.29 for 13th. Both are only sophomores. Adam Stasiuk
dropped 10 seconds on Friday with a 2:13.99.
200 IM - Nate swam very aggresively and he was rewarded with a win and
state cut (2:03.87). Matt Morgan timed a 2:10 for 5th (PB 2:09.31
in Friday's prelims).
50 Free - Absolute fireworks!!! Kyle took the win with a state cut time (and PB)
of 22.59 followed closely by Zach Burgess with a PB of 22.88. David
Warner continued his PB streak with a 23.27 for 5th.
Diving - Our two seniors, Cody and Kyle, continued their conference domination
and look poised for a high D1 state placing. Cody took first with 447.40
points and Kyle also topped the 400 point barrier (407.35).
100 Butterfly - David Warner set ANOTHER PB with a 4th place time of 57.95. Mitch
followed in 58.63 (5th) and Gabe timed 1:00.07 (7th). Nathan Hesche
took the win in 54.32 followed closely by EJ Kohler in 54.70...both
under the previous pool and CAAC record of 54.71.
100 Freestyle - Kyle, Zach, and Cory Daza gave the fans quite a show (along with
Stephen Moyer) as Kyle took the win in a PB 49.19. Zach recorded
another strong second place in a state cut time of 49.69 followed by
Cory and Stephen.
500 Freestyle - For me personally, probably the highlight of the meet right here. Danton
came into the finals seeded 7th and swam to a huge PB of 5:01.98 for
second place behind John Fitzgerald (4:58). He took 12 seconds off his
prelim time and defeated three Okemos swimmers (who had faster prelim
times).Gabe Murley and Adam Stasiuk both swam to big personal bests
of 5:28.74 and 5:50.86.
200 Free Relay - The Holt foursome of Zach, Kyle, Danton, and David recorded ANOTHER state
cut with a first place time of 1:30.90. Also setting a pool and conference
record.
100 Backstroke - Nathan Hesche took his second win (untapered), but our own Matt Morgan
pulled away from a pack in the second 50 for 2nd place overall - low 57.
Matt is only a junior.
100 Breaststroke - Once again Nate swam very aggressively and his strategy led him to his second
individual conference win and a PB (1:03.93). He missed the state cut by only
.04 of a second.
400 Free Relay - The relay foursome of Zach, Danton, Kyle, and Nate made a statement in the last relay
of the day. At this point in the meet, they knew that Okemos was going to emerge
victorius and they could have "mailed in" their performance. Instead, they fought to
the end taking first place in a great time of 3:20.39 with second place 6 seconds
behind. Danton split 49.49 and Kyle split 49.60. Daza of Okemos split 49.39 and Hesche
of Jackson had the fastest relay split at 47.53!
Other Highlights...
Holt's Matt Fisher had some great relay swims in the mid 26s (B 200 free relay). Matt came out for
swimming as a junior and has improved temendously!
Jackson took third overall (290 points), followed by East Lansing (257 points), and then Grand Ledge
with 250 points.
Sophomore Sam Marsh of Okemos took both the 50 and 100 free consolation finals even though
he was seeded lower in both events. This type of performance typified the Okemos win and in the
end, was too much to overcome.
Next year's team race...
Once I receive the results, I'll tally how many points each team returns for 2009. At first glance,
Grand Ledge is a very young team as is Jackson. Okemos loses a strong senior class, but seems to have
a good mixture of sophomores and juniors. Holt will need a strong incoming freshman class to replace
a very talented senior class (maybe the strongest in 15 years at Holt).
CAAC Blue Prelim Results (Link)
2/22/08
Led by Matt Morgan's state cut in the 100 back - 56.88 - the Rams
are positioned to capture their 4th straight conference crown. UNFORTUNATELY,
the Okemos Chieftains are also in position to stop Holt's streak and take
the meet title. How can it be both ways???
After one night of diving and three hours of swimming, the very unofficial
score, based upon Saturday's seedings, is...Okemos 449, Holt 440. We are going
to have some great races tomorrow, such as...
200 Free - Places 2nd - 6th were timed in 1:52.07 - 1:52.53 with our
own Mitch Fisher sitting at 7th in a PB of 1:54.32.
200IM - Nate Robinson is the top qualifier at 2:06.61, but followed
closely by Max Regan of Eastern (2:07.57) and EJ Kohler of
Okemos (2:08.18).
50 Free - Holt holds places 1 (Kyle), 2 (Zach), and 5 (David). Daza
of Okemos is seeded 4th.
100 Fly - Holt has three of the top 6...David, Gabe, and Mitch.
100 Free - This is going to be wild. Top 4 places are two Holt
(Kyle and Zach) and two Okemos (Daza and Moyer).
500 Free - John Fitzgerald captured his state cut, but after
him it gets very interesting. Okemos is stacked in this
event and is poised to pick up huge points. They have
four in the A final at 2, 3, 6, and 8. We need Danton
to swim above his seed tomorrow (at 7) and pick up
some points (and take some away from Okemos).
100 back and 100 breast - We have the no. 2 seed in the back (Matt)
and the no. 1 seed in the breast (Nate), but only have
one other swimmer in either event...Kaleb Hebert at no. 14
in the breast.
Quick analysis:
Okemos came on strong in the last 3 individual events after
a slow start. They will need to win the 200 medley and take
no worse than 2nd in the two free relays to take the victory.
Plus, they will need to hold their seeds and remain in places
3-5 in diving. Their first day MVP is Jacob Marsh. He was
seeded 11th in the 500 free and is 2nd going into Saturday. Also
dropped over 6 seconds in the 200 free.
Even though Holt still find themselves in unofficial second
place, they can pull this off. The 100 fly will be huge if the
Holt swimmers can hold their seeds AND Danton can make up the deficit
by himself with a good swim in the 500 free.
It's coming down to the last relay tomorrow...40 points for the winner,
34 points for second. My prediction is...Holt has to win the relay
to win the meet. Will they do it??? It's a Holt website...you bet!
CAAC Forecast:
Storm on the Horizon!!!
2/18/08
With the lineups now known, many questions have been answered...but many
more have surfaced. Does Holt have enough depth to win their 4th straight
outright CAAC championship? Does Okemos have enough firepower up front to rip
the championship away from our Rams? Will the meet favorite (in 2009), the
Jackson Vikings, wreak havoc on the two meet favorites...playing the role
of spoiler and taking valuable points away from one, or both teams?
Going into Friday's prelims, Okemos (on paper) has 469 points followed
closely by Holt with 454. The next closest challenger is Jackson with
305 points.
So how does Okemos win???
1. Take no prisoners. This is a strong, senior dominated team. If they
swim on Friday with the same swagger we see during water polo season,
the Rams could be in trouble. I doubt they have enjoyed watching our
Rams celebrate year after year. My guess is...they come into this meet
fully tapered (and very focused).
2. The seniors need to set the tone early. They loaded the 200 free
(seeds 3, 6, 8, and 10) and we should know right away if they are
ready for a battle.
3. Fair or not, I think that team captain, Cory Daza, must have a
strong meet. As expected, he is in the 50 and 100 free AND he will
be running into Kyle Lucas and Zach Burgess. Any of the three could
win, but a win by Daza on Saturday would be a huge boost to their
championship hopes.
4. Dominate the 500 free...their specialty. They are seeded 4, 5,
7, 11, 12, and 15. Holt counters with 3, 9, and 16. Mullaney and
Wilbur are both talented enough to take second (to Fitzgerald of GL),
but they will have to leapfrog Holt's Danton Thon at the third seed.
5. Win the 200 medley and one of the free relays. A 3:20 400 free relay
is possible by Okemos, but will that win them the race? There is no
way Coach Lisenby leaves his last relay short handed - it will be
loaded - the championship may very well be on the line!
So how do our Rams win their 4th straight conference championship???
1. In the past, the Holt swimmers knew, whether spoken or not, that
they were heavy favorites going into the conference championship.
This year is different. The dual with Okemos could have easily
gone in their favor and the Rams enter this meet having to swim above
their seeds. If they don't, they will witness another team celebrating
in their pool. They must match the Chieftains expected intensity.
2. Dominate diving. Freshmen Benge and Taylor have been improving
rapidly along with sophomore diver Dumond. Holt can definitely pick
up needed points in this event.
3. Win two of the relays. My guess is (and it is ONLY a guess) Brent
will have Danton, Kyle, and Zach available for both free relays. The
question is...will Nate be joining them in both? With Nate in the 200
medley, the Rams probably finish no worse than third. If Nate is in the
first relay, look for David Warner or Mitch Fisher to fill that vacant
spot in one of the free relays. Also watch for Okemos and Jackson to
load up the 200 medley relay.
4. Get the sophomores fired up and improving upon their seeds on Friday.
Our senior class is very strong. So much so that there is not a lot
of upward movement in the seedings available. But the sophomores have
many opportunities.
Ten more reasons to watch this meet...
1. John Fitzgerald of Grand Ledge. As expected, he is the top
seed in both the 200 and 500 free with near state cut times
set in early December. Two state cuts are well within his reach and
he is only a junior.
2. Nathan Hesche of Jackson. I still insist that he is the most
talented swimmer in the conference. Last weekend at MISCA
he recorded times of 54.18 and 53.36 in the fly and back, respectively.
He is rapidly nearing status as a legitimate D1 swim prospect.
3. Danton Thon of Holt against the maroon wave in both the 200
and 500 free. They will be gunning for him, but Danton has
looked very strong in recent weeks.
4. Stephen Moyer of Okemos. This unsung junior is seeded 3rd in the
200 free and 4th in the 100 free. I have a feeling we are going to
see some very fast times from him this weekend.
5. Cory Daza taking on Lucas and Burgess in the 50 free. If this
isn't good enough for you, they will do it again in the 100 free!
6. Nate Robinson of Holt. He is 3 seconds away from the state cut in the
200 IM (seeded first). State cut (and win) likely come Saturday. As
for the breaststroke, he will need to hold off Tague of Okemos who is
just 1 second behind. Nate is as tough as they come...another state cut
is possible.
7. Max Regan of Eastern. Had MONSTER time drops last year at this meet.
He is seeded third in the 200IM and 3rd in 100 fly.
8. EJ Kohler of Okemos. Part of the senior class juggernaut. Seeded
2nd in both the 100 fly and 200IM. Will have to hold off a hard
charging Max Regan for those no. 2 spots. Gritty competitor...valuable
part of their relays.
9. Cody Schwem of Holt. If you have not seen Cody dive this year, now
is your chance. He has been posting big numbers all year and is highly
ranked in the state.
10. The 400 free relay. I will be shocked if the meet championship is
NOT decided in this event. Don't overlook Jackson!
That's about it folks. I think this may be one of those meets we will
remember for quite a long time. Good luck to all of the teams!
MISCA Highlights!
2/17/08
(Compliments of Rick Burgess)
The Holt boys held their own and swam very well at the MISCA meet
Saturday afternoon, setting season best times in all three relays!
The 200 Medley relay improved from 1:47.79 to 1:46.93, 1.74 off
the state cut (even though Kyle slipped off the block on his 50 free leg!).
The 200 Free relay went from 1:34.97 to 1:33.26 (0.57 from the state cut).
The big news was the 400 Free relay dropping huge time from 3:26.98 to
3:23.21 and getting the state cut. Included in that was a season best
leadoff leg from Zach of :50.92 and a blazing :51.16 from Danton. Matt
Morgan had an incredible :58.29 in the back and I'm sure he will get
his state cut Friday.
Nathan Hesche from Jackson won the 100 back with an incledible :53.36!
I would not be surprised to see him go low :52 next weekend. He also
swam a :54.18 in the 100 fly and an anchor leg of the 400 free relay
of :48.93! He looks very good and should have some great swims at the
conference meet.
There was a great race in the 500 free with 3 boys swimming sub-4:40.
Morgan Priestly won with a 4:38.20 and Clay Youngquist, a freshman
from Battle Creek Lakeview coming in 3rd with a 4:39.29! Too bad
these 2 won't swim against each other at the state meet. It would
be a great race with these two plus Frutiger from Alma, but they
are all three in different divisions.
Based on the good times from Holt this weekend, things are looking
very good for the conference meet. It should be a great battle
with Okemos, but don't count out Jackson, who is posting some
VERY fast times in the last month and will be much deeper than
they were earlier in the year.
CAAC one week away...
Coaches have difficult choices
2/15/08
At the 2007 CAAC Blue meet, the Holt Rams topped the field
with a point total that exceeded 500 points (523) and the Okemos
Chieftains were a distant second with a score of 397.5. As we fast
forward to today, it looks like a dead heat going into Sunday's
coaches meeting. It is at this meeting each coach will turn in his
conference line-up (minus Saturday's A relay...always a mystery until
minutes before the race). At first glance, I thought which ever team
could score 425 points would be the victor but realistically BOTH
teams could top this point total.
In the eight individual races (based on the top times list) and diving,
we have NINE strong favorites:
200 IM - Nate Robinson Holt
200 Free - John Fitzgerald Grand Ledge
50 Free - Kyle Lucas Holt
Diving - Cody Schwem Holt
100 Fly - Nathan Hesche Jackson
100 Free - Kyle Lucas Holt
500 Free - John Fitzgerald Grand Ledge
100 Back - Nathan Hesche Jackson
100 Breast - Nate Robinson Holt
200 Medley Okemos
200 Free Toss-up...Okemos/Holt
400 Free Slight edge to Holt
Even though it does not look as if Okemos will be favored
in any individual event, their strength is their depth. They
will look to place more swimmers in Saturday's finals than Holt.
With both coaches knowing that the victor may not be decided
until the 400 free relay on Saturday, look for both teams to
have their faster swimmers available.
Questions we will have anwered in a few days...
1. What events will Cory Daza of Okemos swim? We will probably
see him in the 50 and 100 free, BUT he could run into
Kyle Lucas and Zach Burgess of Holt. Kyle looks like he is
in 22.5 and 48.5 shape (considering he will be one week into
taper).
Is it more likely for him to beat Kyle in the shorter events,
OR will his coach take a chance and go after a win in the 200 and
500 free - thus running into John Fitzgerald of Grand Ledge???
Cory has enough versatility to swim (and win) any of the free
events. We will find out in a few days.
2. Where will Brent swim his Super Sophs - Dustin Haskell, Gabe Murley,
Mitch Fisher, and Kaleb Hebert? This class has improved a great
deal and I think Holt's title hopes depend upon his sophomores.
They all did well as freshman at the conference meet so that is
a good sign.
3. Okemos looks very strong in the 200 and 500 free (on paper). Will
they load these events?
Next week...we'll look at the matchups and take a closer look
at the team race.
Our 2007-08 Senior Class
Senior Night...
Seniors Shine!
2/12/08
On a snowy night, the St. Johns Redwings slid their way down
Hwy 127 to take on our Rams on Senior Night. The Rams were not gracious hosts
as they scored a 70+ point victory.
There were two major highlights. The first involved Cody Schwem, one
of our standout divers (along with Kyle). Cody looked very sharp in setting
a new pool record with a score of 285!
The second highlight is credited to senior Kyle Lucas. Kyle recorded
Holt's first state cut of the year in the 100 freestyle. He took command
at the 50 (sub 24) and powered his way to a 49.61! He also recorded a quick
50 free (winning in 23.01).
Senior Nate Robinson also had a nice night with a second place in the 100
free (low 51) and a 2:07 in the 200 IM.
Senior Dantan Thon had a smooth double win taking the 200 free (1:56) and
the 500 free (5:19).
Senior Zach Burgess was steady as usual recording a mid 52 in the 100 free
and winning the 100 breast in 1:10.
The 200 free relay team of Zach, Kyle, Danton, and Nate posted a quick
1:34.02, just a little over one second from the state cut.
All of the previously mentioned seniors (along with Sr. David Warner) have an
excellent opportunity to add to Holt's state cut collection at the
upcoming CAAC blue meet in 10 days (and Matt Morgan also in the back).
The MISCA meet is this Saturday. Don't be surprised if the Rams capture two
more state cuts in the relays.
Rams defeat Mason;
Alma proves too tough
1/31/08
(compliments of Rick Burgess) On a night that featured
2 new pool records, our Rams beat Mason but fell just short
of Alma. The final scores were Holt 146 Mason 40 and
Holt 85 Alma 98.
John Frituger set a new pool record in the 200 IM with a
blistering time of 2:01.57 and our own Cody Schwen knocked
Okemos off the pool record in Diving with an incredible score
of 272.60. Our guys put up some great times tonight, but Alma
showed a lot of depth and posted some great times. These guys
are ranked #2 in Division 3 and are going to make a good run
for the state championship. Alma took the top 2 spots in the
100 fly with Holmes winning with a low :56 and they also won
the 100 breast with a 1:05.
In a very exciting 100 back, MVP was tied with Frutiger at
the 75 yeard mark but John pulled ahead to win with a low :58.
It would be really exciting to see these two teams swim when
they are fully shaved and tapered. Even after a morning dryland
practice our swimmers posted many season and personal best times.
I can't wait until the conference meet to see how fast they can
swim after taper! Just a few highlights from Holt (sorry I
did not get everyones times):
200 Free
Danton 1:55.65 (season best)
Zach 1:56.38 (season best)
Adam 2:23.04
50 Free
Prance :28.20 (season best)
Dustin a very fast :25.07
100 Fly
Zach :58.12 (personal best)
Gabe 1:00.65
100 Free
Kyle :50.81
Mitch :53.23
DW :53.50
500 Free
Nate 5:11. (seaon best)
Aaron 6:16.91 (seaon best)
100 Back
MVP :59.37 (if only it was the 75 back!)
Danton 1:00.98 (personal best)
Gabe 1:06.35
Noah 1:21.67
100 Breast
Nate 1:07.63
Kaleb 1:15.68 (season best)
Prance 1:17.42 (season best)
400 Free Relay
Zach, Kyle, Danton, Nate 3:26.98 (season best)
Rams roll over Comets 116-70
1/24/08
A very tired Rams team arrived in Grand Ledge tonight and left with
another victory in spite of having practiced two times earlier in the
day. It was clear that both teams trained through this meet and neither
exhibited the sharpness that we will see in one month at the conference
meet.
Despite both teams "training through" this meet in order to reap faster
times later in the season, there were some good performances.
-- Kyle and Zach took 2nd and 3rd in the 500 in 5:20 and 5:22.
-- Nate recorded a fast 50 free - 23.7 and a 1:01 100 back.
-- Gabe went 2:05 in the 200 free.
-- David W. went 2:01 in the same race.
-- Mitch blazed a mid 53 100 free.
-- AND Prance, on 3 days of practice, almost won the
100 breast in 1:18.
-- Cody Schwem won the diving competition with another great
score in the upper 260s.
Possible CAAC matchups prove intriguing
1/22/08
With a little over one month to go until the conference
meet, the CAAC Blue standout performers are, collectively, having
a great season. Lets start with some Rams.
Nate Robinson - he has been been Mr. Consistency ranking 1st
in the 200 IM (2:08.92) and 100 breast (1:06.46). He also has
a 1:54.09 200 free (3rd)to his resume along with a 5:12.73 500
free (2nd). Where he swims at conference is anyone's guess.
Zach Burgess - he may be the most improved Ram so far. He has had a
breakout season and with another good taper, will be a threat in
any race Brent places him in. He has times of 23.63 in the 50 free (4th),
51.66 in the 100 free (4th), 1:10.45 in the 100 breast, and 58.64
in the 100 fly (3rd).
Kyle Lucas - Mr. Versatile. You could see Kyle in any event at the
conference meet (excluding the breast) and he would be a threat to win.
He ranks 2nd in the 100 free (50.78), 2nd in the 50 free (23.26), 4th
in the 200 free (1:54.19), 4th in the 500 free (5:19.95), 4th in the 200IM
(2:14.09), and 4th in the 100 fly (58.73).
As we move East, our rivals for the conference crown, the Okemos Chieftains,
are anchored by a strong senior class. Led by...
Cory Daza - a threat to win any race he enters. He ranks 3rd in the 50 free
(23.32), 1st in the 100 free (50.68), 2nd in the 200 free (1:52.13), and 3rd
in the 100 back (1:00.28). His team needs two wins from him to stay in the
team race. Look for him in the 50 and 100 free, but do not be suprised if
his coach mixes it up. A 1:48-49 200 free and sub 5:00 500 are within his reach.
EJ Kohler - another Chieftain that has improved tremendously in the past
two years. His butterfly looks very smooth right now and he ranks 2nd in
the conference in 56.58. He also holds down 2nd in the 200IM in 2:12.65. It
is almost a given that he will swim the fly at CAACs, but what will be his
second event...200IM or 100 back??
Grand Ledge will be in a battle with Jackson for third (barring an Okemos/Holt
meltdown) and is led by a talented junior.
John Fitzgerald - in 2007, we were surprised to see him in the 200IM, but this
year it is "almost" a certainty that he will be entered in the 200 free and
500 free. He leads the conference in both events; 1:50.98 and 5:03.54. Here
is the scary part. Both times were recorded on 12/1 of last year. With a big
taper, sub 1:48 and 4:55 are well within reach.
If we are going to talk about standout performers, the list would not be
complete without the most versatile swimmer in the conference, Nathan Hesche.
Does this junior swimmer realize how good he is? He leads the conference
in the 50 free (22.83), 100 back (55.49), and 100 fly (54.84). He also ranks
in the top five in the 100 and 200 free. At the Waverly Relays, I had his
crescendo split (200 free leg) in 1:50 flat. Will we see him in his two
strongest events at CAACs (100 fly and 100 back), or will his coach throw
him in any of the free events - any of which he could win (yes, even the
500 free).
Matchups I'd like to see...
50 Free - Daza vs. Burgess
100 Free - Lucas vs. Burgess vs. Daza
200 Free - Fitzgerald vs. Hesche vs. Lucas
500 Free - Fitzgerald vs. Robinson vs. Thon (Holt)
100 Fly - Hesche vs. Kohler
200IM - Robinson vs. Kohler
See you in a month!
Next: the divers ---- Cody and Kyle difficult 1-2 punch for rest of CAAC Blue!
Rams win showdown 99-87!
Chieftains upset bid falls short
1/10/08
LSJ article w/ photo gallery (Link)
With the stands absolutely packed with noisy fans, the Holt Rams and
Okemos Chieftains put on quite a show tonight. Both teams fought hard and
in the end it was our own Rams taking the win by a dozen points.
How close was this meet? Coming into the last event, the 400 free relay,
the Rams held a slim 6 point lead. An Okemos win (and third) would have resulted
in a deadlock...93-93. BUT, Danton, Kyle, Zach, and Nate teamed up for first place
(3:30.76) and the Rams took home the win.
Some highlights:
Zach Burgess defeated Corey Daza (area season leader) in the 50 free with a
time of 23.63. He then came back for his second win of the
night in the 100 free (51.87).
Nate Robinson swam to a great time, and win, in the 200 free (1:54.09) and
followed this up with another win in the 100 breast (1:06.69).
Kyle Lucas also swam terrific in the 200 free (1:54.19) and placed first
in the 500 free (5:19.95).
Cody Schwem dove to the 4th best score (and PB) in Holt school
history - 266.10. Kyle Winsor took a strong second
with a score of 237.80.
David Warner recorded a fast 24.00 in the 50 free for 3rd place.
Matt Morgan was edged in the 200IM (2nd place), but came back to defeat
Daza in the 100 back with a time of 59.22 (PB).
The 200 free relay team of Danton, Kyle, Zach, and David W. took first place.
With the win, the Rams assured themselves, at a minimum, a share of the
overall CAAC Blue title (barring any upsets i.e Grand Ledge and Jackson).
If they win the conference meet - - the title is theirs (outright) for the
fourth straight year!
As for Okemos, they are going to look back at this loss as motivation for the
conference meet in 6 weeks. The Rams came away with the win tonight, but in
the end these two teams are very close in ability. The battle for the conference
crown could very well come down to the last event...again!
Rams down the Trojans 109-77
12/21/07
(from Brent) Our boys have been staying busy with a lot of training.
We did manage to fit a dual meet in with East Lansing last night. Although
we were swimming well (despite two other practices that day) we found ourselves
down by 4 points going into diving.
Once again our divers Cody Schwem and Kyle Winsor got us the lead by finishing
first and second. Our flyers, Kyle Lucas, Nate Robinson, and Mitch Fisher,
built the lead with a 1-2-3 finish. In fact, Kyle and Nate decided to make
it interesting by tying for first place with a time of 59.14. Zach Burgess
became our first swimmer this season to do "The Quad". He was on two first
place relays, and he took first place in the 100 Breaststroke.
Sophomore Kaleb Hebert had a breakout meet. He dropped 11 seconds in the
200 IM and then dropped another 18 seconds in the 500 Freestyle. We went
on to win the meet by a score of 109 to 77. More impressively was the fact
that after two earlier practices we posted 23 best times and another 4 season
best times.
THREE-PEAT!
RAMS "WAVERLY CHAMPS" AGAIN
Take 6 of 9 events; score 246 points
Very balanced team effort
12/5/07
Nice coverage in today's LSJ. Link to their meet photo gallery (Link).
Scroll halfway down the page and click on the photo of our own Dustin Haskell.
LSJ photo
CAAC Mega-Meet in the books...
RAMS REPEAT AS CHAMPIONS (387)
Okemos close second (354)
12/1/07
Get ready for a season long battle with our crosstown rivals -
Jan. 10th - Okemos at Holt
(Full Results)
If scored as a dual meet between Holt and Okemos, the score
would have been 97-87 Holt.
Waverly Relays next Wednesday (12/5). Swimming finals begins at 6:30 p.m.
Rams repeat as CAAC Mega-Meet Champions!
Kelsie Schooley
Division 1 State Champion
50 freestyle
Division 1 Runner-up
100 freestyle
2007 Girl's Season Results
06-07 Boy's Season Results
05-06 Boy's Season Results
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