State Swim Preview: Wooster girls get first taste of biggest stage
CANTON — Entering the season, Wooster’s girls swim team was one of the youngest in the region.
Four of those athletes will get a chance to compete among the state’s best this week as they headline a list of locals competing in the OHSAA Division I and II State Championships in Canton.
Sure, a number of those Generals newcomers have a wealth of experience in the sport, but the 200-yard freestyle relay will get its first taste of the state’s biggest stage when it toes the starting blocks at the C.T. Branin Natatorium.
Longtime Wooster coach Chris Matthew knows the team of freshman Alessandra Gerber, junior Miley Green, sophomore Piper Udell and junior Lauren Hershberger have all the makings to be good for years to come.
But she also knows that they can do some big things this week, too.
“They had a great meet (at districts) and saw four seconds faster than the previous week and nobody improves like that in relay,” Matthew said of the group, which comes in with the 21st-fastest time. “They have some high hopes and high goals to make the top-16 and I think we have a good shot.
“They're super young and still don't know how good they can be.”
Matthew and her coaching staff did a little lineup shuffling to see if they can continue to shave time as Gerber will swim in the lead-off spot, something she did earlier this season at the Viking Invitational.
Gerber also is set to compete individually in the 200 individual medley, an event that she has been strong in all season long evident in sharing Swimmer of the Meet honors at the Ohio Cardinal Conference championships with Udell.
“She's a USA swimmer, so she goes year-round and is very focused,” Matthew said of Gerber, who finished the regular season undefeated in the event. “But she's still a very young and, once we get her really strong, she's going to be a powerhouse.”
The D-I meet will be loaded with Wooster faces as all three relays — the 200 free, 400 free and 200 medley — all will take part in the meet, along with six individual events being represented.
Senior Andrei Dordea will not only swim on both the 200 and 400 free relays — both of which come in with the seventh-fastest time in their respective prelims — the veteran has top-10 seed times individually in the 50 and 100 free.
And while Dordea is determined to walk away from Canton with as many All-Ohio medals as possible, the idea of competing — and having a chance to place — in all four events at state is not lost on him.
“This year has, by far, been the greatest that I've ever had in my career,” he said. “It's been a blessing, an honor and a privilege swimming with these guys.”
Two of his freestyle-relay teammates, fellow senior Luke Boucher (200 IM) and sophomore Gabe Bosler-Kilmer (50 free, 100 butterfly), are also set to compete individually, along with senior Cole Walenciak (500 free). Boucher is seeded 18th in the 200 IM, while Bosler-Kilmer has the 20th-fastest seed mark in the 50 free.
A pair of sprint swimmers will compete in the D-II portion of the championships as Smithville’s Trei Durstine and Waynedale’s Anna Pittman each will make their respective state debuts.
Both also have a strong shot at earning All-Ohio honors, too, as the tandem are ranked in the top-20 of their respective events coming into preliminary action. Durstine is a two-event qualifier as the junior is set to compete in the 50 and 100 free, while Pittman takes part in the 50 free.
“Trei and Anna have both been methodically working the process,” coach Tammy Lyons said of the pairing, prior to their district races. “All season they have been posting swims that hover around their nest times.”
Durstine’s 50-free mark of 21.70 is 11th overall in the field, one that has two athletes – Vincent Warren’s Mason Francis and Worthington Christian’s Austin Hickok — coming in off of sub-21-second times in last week’s district. In the 100 free, Durstine is 17th with a host of swimmers hovering around 47-48 seconds. Francis leads the way with a 45.79 seed time.
With the 15th-best time in 50 free, Pittman will see if she can advance to the A final after posting a 24.53 in district competition. Carrie Furbee of Grandview Heights has the top mark coming in at 23.01.
OHSAA Division I/II Swimming Championships
WHEN: Thursday (D-II prelims, 5 p.m.), Friday (D-I prelims, 9 a.m., D-II finals 5 p.m.), Saturday (D-I finals 3 p.m.)
WHERE: C.T. Branin Natatorium (1715 Harrison Ave. NW, Canton)
D-I AREA QUALIFIERS: Wooster — Luke Boucher (sr., 200 IM, 200 medley relay, 200 free relay, 400 free relay), Andrei Dordea (sr., 50 free, 100 free, 200 free relay, 400 free relay), Gabe Bosler-Kilmer (so., 50 free, 100 fly, 200 free relay, 400 free relay), Cole Walenciak (sr., 500 free), Aidan McMillan (fr., 200 medley relay, 200 free relay, 400 free relay), Santiago Salazar (jr., 200 medley relay), Cooper Udell (sr., 200 medley relay), Colleen Frantz (jr., 1-meter dive), Alessandra Gerber (fr., 200 IM, 200 free relay), Miley Green (jr., 200 free relay), Piper Udell (so., 200 free relay), Lauren Hershberger (jr., 200 free relay)
D-II AREA QUALIFIERS: Smithville — Trei Durstine (jr., 50 free, 100 free); Waynedale — Anna Pittman (so., 50 free)
This article originally appeared on The Daily Record: Swimming: Previewing the Wayne/Holmes swimmers at state
