Friday, March 30, 2001
N.Ky. girls swimming all-stars
Sophomore Swafford had good run at state
By Ray Schaefer
Enquirer contributor
Beechwood sophomore swimmer Wesley Swafford and Notre Dame swimming coach Karen Bresser-Jones are more than a decade apart in age, but they're nonetheless happy girls because of what happened this season.
Swafford, The Enquirer's Northern Kentucky Girls Swimmer of the Year, won three races at the regional meet at Scott, finished second in the state 200-yard individual medley and third in the 100 freestyle.
Bresser-Jones, the Coach of the Year, led the Pandas to a third-place finish at state - the school's best finish in her four seasons as coach.
In addition to her times at state, Swafford won regional titles in the 200 IM, and 100 freestyle. She broke 54 seconds in the 100 freestyle (53.76) for the first time, but she said her state 200 IM time of 2:06.31 pleased her most.
“I had dropped a lot of time from (the 200 IM) last year, about 5 1/2 seconds,” Swafford said.
The 200 IM time was fast enough to be considered for All-America status, but Swafford has yet to hear from the National Interscholastic Swimming Coaches Association, the Tooele, Utah organizations that make the final decision.
At the U.S. Swimming national short course meet three weeks ago in Austin, Texas, she reached the finals in the 50-freestyle, 100 backstroke and 100 freestyle as a member of the Cincinnati Marlins, though she didn't make the top 16. She was a part of a 400 freestyle relay team (with Liz Keating and Rachel Tepe of St. Ursula and Betsy Tarey of Indian Hill) that finished fourth.
“A lot of college swimmers were there,” Swafford said. “I was very happy with my year.”
Notre Dame continued to dominate area swimming. The Pandas' latest regional title was the school's 20th out of the past 22.
But Bresser-Jones did the most with the fewest at state. Only six - senior April Fioreli, junior Nicole Culbertson, sophomore Emily Oberjohn and freshmen Mallory Neltner, Stephanie Doellman and Amanda Hudepohl - racked up 186 points and finished behind Lexington Paul Laurence Dunbar and Louisville Sacred Heart.
“Those six girls all swam phenomenally down there,” Bresser-Jones said. “They're talented girls; I can't take all the credit.”
Swimmer of the Year: Wesley Swafford, Beechwood, sophomore
Coach of the Year: Karen Bresser-Jones, Notre Dame
200-yard medley relay: Notre Dame (Mallory Neltner, freshman; April Fioreli, senior; Stephanie Doellman, freshman; Amanda Hudepohl, freshman)
200 freestyle: Ann Isaacs, Scott, senior
200 individual medley: Wesley Swafford, Beechwood, sophomore
50 freestyle: Nicole Culbertson, Notre Dame, junior
1-meter dive: Robyn Karlage, Holmes, junior
100 butterfly: Stephanie Doellman, Notre Dame, freshman
100 freestyle: Wesley Swafford, Beechwood, sophomore
500 freestyle: Ann Isaacs, Scott, senior
200 freestyle relay: Notre Dame (Emily Oberjohn, sophomore; Mallory Neltner, freshman; April Fioreli, senior; Nicole Culbertson, junior)
100 backstroke: Mallory Neltner, Notre Dame, junior
100 breaststroke: April Fioreli, Notre Dame, senior
400 freestyle relay: Beechwood (Courtney Swafford, senior; Sarah Stephens, sophomore; Meredith Loechle, junior; Wesley Swafford, sophomore)
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N.Ky. girls swimming all-stars
