(by Don Meador, The Citizen-Times, February 21, 2006)
The Allen
County-Scottsville swim team had a solid showing at the state swimming
championships last weekend in .Lexington
On the individual
level, senior swimmer Andrew Bloink placed 10th in the state in the 100-yard
butterfly with a time of 54:78, just over a second off his school record time
of 53:38. His slower time may have been due in part to an illness from earlier
in the week. In the 50 yard freestyle, Bloink finished 23rd with a time of
23:68.
“I didn’t end my senior year the way I had hoped,” noted a disappointed Bloink. “But even for only swimming three years and other factors, I’ve achieved things others have worked their whole lives for so I can’t be upset. Swimming has given back to me more than I ever dreamed.”
The Patriot swimmers received a double surprise at the meet. For starters, sophomore Kyle Gillenwater---originally an alternate—learned that he would be swimming in the 100y breaststroke. In the pool, Gillenwater was somewhat a surprise as he swam his way to a 20th place finish with a new school record time of 1:06:96.
The Patriot 200-yard medley relay team, Drew White (backstroke), Gillenwater (breaststroke), Bloink (Butterfly) and Zach Rockrohr (freestyle) finished 19th in a school record time of 1:50:78.
“It was a once in a lifetime experience,” explained White. “It was a perfect ending to my high school swimming career.”
Coach Wallin was proud of his swimmers performance.
“The weekend was a great experience for our kids,” Wallin said. “The team worked hard, showing that Allen County has a bright future in swimming.”
Wallin added that one of several goals for the season had been to take a relay team to the state. Now, the squad will be focusing on continuing to build the swim program at ACS.