Sunday, February 25, 2001
Dixie's Day wins two Ky. swim titles
CovCath boys finish close second
By Ray Schaefer
Enquirer contributor
CovCath's Brett Hoersting tied for first in the 100 free.
(AP photo)
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LEXINGTON — Dixie Heights' Michael Day won two state titles Saturday, leading a strong effort by Northern Kentucky swimmers in the Kentucky high school swimming and diving championships in Lexington.
Day won the 100 butterfly and 100 backstroke and earned All-American honors.
“Ever since I started swimming for Dixie in seventh grade, I always wanted to win something at state,” Day said. “But you don't think about two events at state. It's great.”
The top team performance came from the Covington Catholic boys. They challenged Louisville St. Xavier before St. X rallied to win its 13th straight title.
“We set school records across the board,” Covington Catholic coach Steve Durkee said. “Kids swam above and beyond the call of duty.”
Day won the 100-yard butterfly in 50.53 seconds and the 100 backstroke in 51.89 and was named the co-outstanding competitor with Montgomery County's Will Ratliff.
Day had to watch former Henderson County star Jordie Proffitt win the last two 100 backstroke titles. Same with Louisville St. Xavier's Chris Tingley in last year's 100 backstroke, and before that, Sydney Olympian and CovCath star Nate Dusing overshadowed him when they swam for the Kenton County Clippers and Beechwood Swim Club teams.
“There were so many great swimmers ahead of me,” Day said.
But Day didn't mope. He studied Proffitt's, Tingley's and Dusing's mechanics at the turns.
“I know I'm not as fast from end to end,” Day said. “But I compensate by kicking off the walls.”
In Saturday's 100 butterfly, Day beat Shelby County's Chad Waits by nearly a second - thus gaining an automatic high school All-American qualifying standard.
“It's pretty cool to say you're an All-American,” Day said.
13 in row for St.X
Louisville St.Xavier won its 13th straight boys team title over Covington Catholic, 348-312.5. But the Colonels gave the Tigers their toughest test - it was the closest any team has come to St. Xavier, and the Tigers led just 121-113 after four events.
There was much for the Colonels to celebrate.
Senior Matthew Bertke won the 200-yard freestyle in 1:41.28 - just more than five seconds faster than Friday's preliminary time of 1:46.40 - and senior Brett Hoersting's 46.61 in the 100 freestyle tied him with Bullitt East's Russell MacDonald for the title.
And in relays, Bertke and Hoersting joined juniors David Hine and Matt Wilson to win the 400 freestyle relay in 3:12.15. Bertke, Hoersting, Wilson and sophomore Sean Pharr won the 200 freestyle relay in 1:27.08.
Bertke and Hoersting also made the state all-star team.
But Durkee also knows where CovCath lost.
In 1-meter diving, St.Xavier had four top-10 finishes. CovCath junior Scott Schierborg finished 12th.
Sacred Heart upset
Lexington Paul Laurence Dunbar dethroned six-time champion Louisville Sacred Heart, 332-322.
Notre Dame was third with 186 points, which is impressive because only six Pandas - senior April Fioreli, junior Nicole Culbertson, sophomore Emily Oberjohn and freshmen Stephanie Doellman, Mallory Neltner and Amanda Hudepohl - qualified for Saturday's finals.
“All of them swam awesome,” coach Karen Bresser-Jones said.
No Northern Kentucky girls won state titles, but Beechwood sophomore Wesley Swafford finished second to Franklin County junior Elizabeth Foster in the 200 individual medley, and Neltner took second behind Emile Ewing of Madisonville North Hopkins in the 100 backstroke.
Dunbar easily beat Lexington Catholic, 427-274.5, for the combined team title, in which boys and girls scores are added. Scott was third with 250 points.
Ky. boys swimming results
Ky. girls swimming results
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Dixie's Day wins two Ky. swim titles
