By Nathan Jendrick
FEDERAL WAY, Washington, April 1. THE final day of the 2006 Spring Championships brought with it the same combination that has been found all week: Fresh faces and fast swimming.
Starting off the night was the women’s 1,500. Unlike the men’s 1,500, the women were competing in timed finals throughout the day, with the top seeds battling it out this evening. Taking the top spot was SMU’s extraordinarily cheerful Flavia Rigamonti in 16:24.56. Sachiko Yamada (Mission Viejo) took over the second place position in 16:36.50.
Without a doubt the fastest swim tonight can be credited to the women’s 200 individual medley. Wonder woman Katie Hoff (NBAC) had won three championships already at this meet and was ready to make it four going into tonight’s final. Hoff shot off the blocks and took a lead that just couldn’t be challenged. Touching first at every split, Hoff finished in 2:11.54. Hoff’s closest competition, past national championship winner in the individual medleys and hometown crowd favorite, KING’s Ariana Kukors, touched second in a quick 2:13.20.
Next came the men’s 200 IM and, as assumed, the majority of the A finalists were new to competing in a national final. But, tonight’s winner was a veteran. Picking up the win was 2004 Polish Olympian Adam Mania (Wisconsin Aquatics) in 2:04.02. Mania took the lead into the first wall but lost it to Ricky Berens (MAC) at the halfway point. He picked it back up with a strong breaststroke leg and held on over the freestyle to take his second title of the meet.
The shortest events of the meet, the women and men’s 50 freestyles, went to familiar faces. After marching out to Smash Mouth’s “All Star,” Katie Hoff, fresh off her IM win no more than 10 minutes earlier and who undoubtedly is this meet's all-star, started from Lane 4 from her top seed swim this morning. She came off the blocks and made a valiant effort in trying for her fifth championship, but Rhi Jeffrey (USC) was hungry for a win after earlier second place finishes in both the 100 and 200 meter freestyles. Jeffrey touched in 25.47, ahead of Samantha Woodward (Kerr-McGee, 25.76) and Hoff who finished third in 25.85. Sprint champion of the meet for the men in 22.90, the only sub-23 second time of the event, was Barry Murphy (University of Tennessee).
And from the shortest event came one of the longest, the men’s 800 meter freestyle. Taking the event with ease was this meet's distance ace Justin Mortimer (Mission Viejo) in 8:03.05. Mortimer also won the 400 and 1,500 freestyles.
Closing out the night and the meet were the men and women’s 400 medley relays. With several strong squads coming into this championship, particularly on the women’s side, the event was bound to be exciting, and it left no one disappointed. The SMU women had dominated the earlier relays with such a strong freestyle contingent, but tonight a team title would see new hands.
With a team of Ariana Kukors (100 backstroke champion), Megan Jendrick (100 and 200 breaststroke champion), Courtney Eronemo (100 butterfly B finalist) and Emilee Jennings, the hometown KING Aquatics assembled the strongest medley and won the title in 4:11.78. In second place was North Baltimore at 4:12.60. After Eronemo and Jendrick had swum, KING held nearly a five-second lead over NBAC, but the back half North Baltimore team of Courtney Kalisz and Katie Hoff made it a race with Hoff nearly closing in at the finish.
For the men, out of the B final the University of Southern California men put together a time to watch and as the A final came to a close, it was obvious the time would hold out by a huge margin. The win was the second B final victory for the Trojan men. The USC squad of Viktor Bodrogi, Mihaly Flaskay, Sam Masson and Sean Sussex put together a 3:44.51 combination which took easy care of the Rockville Montgomery Swim Club who closed the A final out in 3:52.45, nearly eight seconds back.
The top combined team scores after all events:
North Baltimore Aquatic Club – 425
University of Southern California – 419
Mission Viejo Nadadores – 373
KING Aquatics – 358
Bolles School – 322
Photos: Top (Flavia Rigamonti); Second (Katie Hoff/Ariana Kukors); Third (Katie Hoff).
