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Thursday, February 28, 2008

Manzano's Different Strokes for Different Folks

By Eric Butler
For the Telegraph
    Freestyle in swimming generally connotates a very specific image. That would be one involving the straightforward stroke that's used by almost everybody in the water.
    But, technically, the term means the swimmers are free to do any style they want. Manzano High's girls took advantage of that interpretation to practice their medley relay at a meet at the West Mesa Aquatic Center on Feb. 15.
    Instead of doing the usual stroke in the 200-yard free relay at West Mesa, the Lady Monarchs' quartet of Sanne van Swol, Hannah Mercier, Marissa Campbell and Terisse Brocato each swam different strokes— like the backstroke, butterfly and breaststroke— of 50 yards apiece.
    That little warmup couldn't have hurt. Manzano improved, by a couple of seconds, on their state qualifying time in the 200 medley relay at the state swimming and diving championships, held Friday and Saturday at Albuquerque Academy.
    The Monarchs finished sixth in the medley relay with a time of 1 minute, 57.78 seconds.
    That relay team's improvement was one of Manzano's highlights during the final meet of the season. The Monarchs placed seventh overall in a 27-team field with 133 points, while La Cueva won the 2008 title with 312.
    "We were trying to figure out where to swim the kids," Manzano coach Tammy Wilson said of the unorthodox approach to practicing for the medley. "We went with what we thought would be best. It turns out that sixth was the best we could do."
    The same Manzano foursome did even better during the finals in the 200 free relay. With a time of 1:44.10, Manzano finished third.
    "I feel like we did pretty good and I definitely did my best," said Brocato, who will graduate a year early when this school year comes to an end. "I'd like to swim another year, but I don't really want to go to school another year."
    Van Swol also took eighth in the 100 fly and was 15th in the 200 individual medley. Mercier placed 12th in the 100 free.
    Monarch Jennifer Wylie garnered some big points in 1-meter diving. She finished second behind Kaitlan Walker of Eldorado.
    Then there was Campbell, of course.
    The Monarchs senior, who lives in Albuquerque, not only won the 50 and 100 free, she also threatened the state records in both. In the 50, Campbell touched the wall at 23.74 seconds— a fraction of a second off the 23.67 standard set by Academy's Candace Sisouvanvieng-Kim last year.
    The 100 free's record of 51.23, established in 2007 by Academy's Kendra Stern, seemed vulnerable. But Campbell clocked the race in 52.27.
    Campbell piled up five individual state titles in three years of work. She said she hopes to swim at Indiana University next year.
    "It affects me because I knew it's my last time," Campbell said. "It makes me really sad, but I know I have more to come down the road and that there are greater things out there."
    The Manzano boys will have to rebuild. No Monarchs males qualified, either individually or as part of a relay, for the state meet his year.
    "We need to recruit some boys," Wilson said. "So if anybody has any boys who want to come out ... "