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Fast times bring back 21st crown for Hawks
(by Tony Lange - March 03, 2011)
Fast times bring back 21st crown for Hawks
By TONY LANGE
Hawken School's girls' swim team did it again. At the Division II state swim meet last week at Canton's Branin Natatorium, the Lady Hawks won their 13th consecutive state title and 21st overall.
With 334 points, they dominated the field, with distant runner-up Granville finishing with 171 points. Gilmour Academy placed 10th with 73 points, while Chagrin Falls was 14th with 60 points and Orange was 15th with 57 points.
Hawken broke the Division II state record in all three of its triumphant relays, as well as two individual records. The Hawks won four of the eight individual events and advanced swimmers to the finals in all but one event.
Sarah Kouchecki paced the Hawks as she finished first in both her individual events. She set a new state record in the 100-yard butterfly with a 55.22. That time was good enough for eighth on Ohio's girls' All-Time Top 20 Honor Roll for state performances, which has been in place since 1977. It includes both divisions.
Kouchecki also won the 200 individual medley with a 2:03.94, which was 19th on the All-Time Top 20 Honor Roll.
"Yea, actually, I'm really happy about both of those races," Kouchecki said. "I did what I wanted to do in the 200 IM, and that was just to go out and break my old time of a 2:05. So doing that, I was really excited. I had my whole team cheering me on, which was a great encouragement. And in the 100 fly, I just wanted to go out there and try to get the state record. I'm really happy with myself."
Also winning individually for the Hawks was Morgan Cohara, who stood atop the winners' podium for her 200 freestyle with a 1:51.36. She also finished third in the 100 freestyle with a 51.88.
"Yea, I'm pretty happy with how I did overall," Cohara said. "Winning the 200 free, I couldn't ask for anything more. That was my goal all year. I set my sights on it, and I'm glad I achieved my goal."
Both Kouchecki and Cohara were members of the record-breaking 200 and 400 freestyle relay teams, which clocked in at 1:35.90 and 3:28.56, respectively.
Kouchecki led off the 400 freestyle relay with a 51.30, which would have been fast enough for first place in the individual 100 freestyle event, had she swum it.
Hawken's Marissa Cominelli set the state record in the 100 backstroke with her preliminary performance of 55.37. She swam a 55.49 in the finals and stood atop the winners' podium. Her time ranks fourth on the All-Time Top 20 Honor Roll. Cominelli also swam on the record-breaking 200 medley relay team, which clocked a 1:45.72.
Some of the Hawken School swimmers swam better during the Thursday preliminaries, while others swam faster during the Friday finals, head coach Jerry Holtrey said.
"I still haven't figured out why this happened, because we were getting plenty of rest, and we went over everything we were supposed to," he said. "All I know is they gave 100 percent effort in every event they swam, and, consequently, they were satisfied with their performances, and I was too."
With Hawken's dynasty, many of those who follow Ohio swimming have come to expect the Lady Hawks to win the state title each year, but the swimmers themselves don't take that accomplishment for granted, Holtrey said.
"I was really happy. We were able to break five state records. So, obviously, I was happy with that," Holtrey said. "Each year, we go down there with the idea of doing the very best we can individually, and, if you do that, how you place as a team will normally take care of itself. Sometimes being favored to win brings a little pressure, but they responded with very positive manner. They were really focused, and they stayed focused throughout the meet."
Another top performer was Gilmour Academy's MacIe McNicols, who was runner-up in both her individual events, the 50 and 100 freestyle. She finished with times of 23.74 and 51.54 in those races.
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