Clearfield swimming teams split with D-9 foe Bradford
Saturday, January 24, 2009
By Jon Christoff Sports Writer
HYDE - Clearfield swimming coach Jackie Morrison knew her girls' squad was in for quite a test on Friday night at the Robert L. Shearer Natatorium, as they hosted Bradford.
Despite coming up on the wrong end of a 96-87 defeat, Morrison was still proud of the effort the Lady Bisons put forth, as they held a slim 1-point lead heading into the 500 free - where the Lady Owls swept the top three places.
"Ignoring the fact that we lost the meet, we had a lot of gains," said Morrison. "We had a lot of positives. ... They brought out the best in us. We were the underdogs and it's always easier going in as the underdogs.
"They're very talented, so they could put anybody anywhere. We were prepared and we kind of knew what we were capable and not capable of. There were certain events where we just couldn't hang with them, but we put the best lineup we could against them and let the girls go do the best they could."
While the girls were in for one of the more competitive meets on their schedule, the Bisons were the exact opposite as Bradford had just eight swimmers on its boys' roster.
As a result, Clearfield swept all of the contested events and won handily, 117-55.
The Bisons had four swimmers win two events apiece, and won both relays they swam competitively.
"They were in the races, they just didn't have many (swimmers)," Morrison said of the Owls. "They made it very respectable ... extremely respectable."
The Lady Bisons trailed heading into the diving portion of the meet, but gained 14 crucial points since the Lady Owls don't have any divers.
Christie Pizzella brought home first for Clearfield with a score of 147.45, while Sarah Lowder and Katie Guth followed.
Bradford countered in the 500 free, however, putting its top swimmer - albeit banged up - Amanda Slavinski in the lineup.
Slavinski touched the wall first in 6:04.61, while a pair of teammates were second and third to all but negate the advantage Clearfield gained in diving.
"Up there that won't happen because they don't have diving, but we knew this was a big opportunity," said Morrison. "They surprised us (in the 500). I thought they'd put somebody else in there. ... They put Slavinski in, and I think Branda (Smeltzer) could've hung with her ... that's the versatility they have. We have a little bit of it, but not as strong. It's a guessing-game, a little bit of a chess match, but I thought we did pretty well."
The Lady Bisons finished strong after falling behind by 11 points, as the team of Smeltzer, Brandie Centi, Kaylee Bowser and Marisa Howell finished the 400 free relay in 4:01.86. The same quartet also claimed the 200 free relay.
Howell and Centi were the only individual winners, with the former winning the 100 fly and the latter winning the 50 free.
Centi also had a strong showing in the 100 free, as she finished behind one of Bradford's top swimmers in Erica Pascarella, but ahead of Smeltzer.
Each girl finished the race in under one minute.
"That's what we were waiting for (from Brandie)," Morrison said. "We kept waiting, but we should be on all cylinders with her the rest of the way. I was pretty proud of her. ... She's learning how to handle the ups and downs because you're not always going to have ups. You've got to learn to handle both.
"It's been awhile since I've had two girls in the 100 swim under a minute. We'll take that any time."
The Bisons were a little bit more flexible in their lineup, as seniors Mark Krchnak and Shay Flanagan switched events for the night and each came away with a pair of wins to their credit.
Krchnak won the 200 and 500 free, while Flanagan claimed the 200 IM and the 100 breast.
Clearfield's Kraig Peterson also had a solid meet in winning the 100 fly and 100 back, while Justin DeCasper brought home wins in the 50 and 100 free.
"Justin DeCasper ... like I said, it's a different mentality now that you're the BMOC, the big man on campus," said Morrison. "You're the sprint man now ... that's all he needed to do. He isn't as fast as Jordan (Mumma), but he's on his way. He's working hard and he's doing the job."
The Bisons won two relays with Peterson, Krchnak, Connor Shirey and Flanagan winning the 200 medley. Shirey and Peterson were joined by DeCasper and Brady Mulhollem in winning the 200 free relay.
Steven Williams finished first in the diving for Clearfield, which was unopposed in the boys' event as well.
The Bisons improved to 5-0 overall, while the Lady Bisons dipped to 3-2.
Clearfield is back in action Monday when it hosts Bellefonte. Boys
Clearfield 117, Bradford 55
200 MR: 1. Clearfield (Peterson, Krchnak, Shirey, Flanagan), 1:45.47. 200 Free: 1. Krchnak, C, 1:53.16; 2. Mulhollem, C; 3. Renaud, C. 200 IM: 1. Flanagan, C, 2:09.11; 2. Anderson, B; 3. Cattoni, B. 50 Free: 1. DeCasper, C, 23.82; 2. Shirey, C; 3. Cavagnaro, B. Diving: 1. Williams, C, 221.50; 2. Maines, C; 3. Brzezinski, C. 100 Fly: 1. Peterson, C, 59.15; 2. J. Schwab, B; 3. Lansberry, C. 100 Free: 1. DeCasper, C, 53.36; 2. Anderson, B; 3. Shirey, C. 500 Free: 1. Krchnak, C, 5:10.17; 2. Mulhollem, C; 3. M. Schwab, B. 200 FR: 1. Clearfield (Shirey, Peterson, Mulhollem, DeCasper), 1:39.50. 100 Back: 1. Peterson, C, 1:01.26; 2. J. Schwab, B; 3. Cavagnaro, B. 100 Breast: 1. Flanagan, C, 1:06.16; 2. Cattoni, B; 3. Fisher, C. 400 FR: 1. Bradford, 3:41.13. Girls
Bradford 96, Clearfield 87
200 MR: 1. Bradford, 2:02.17. 200 Free: 1. Pascarella, B, 2:05.98; 2. Confer, B; 3. Smeltzer, C. 200 IM: 1. Kahle, B, 2:24.83; 2. Howell, C; 3. Durandetta, C. 50 Free: 1. Centi, C, 26.28; 2. Chen, B; 3. Slavinski, B. Diving: 1. Pizzella, C, 147.45; 2. Lowder, C; 3. Guth, C. 100 Fly: 1. Howell, C, 1:06.43; 2. Russell, B; 3. Bowser, C. 100 Free: 1. Pascarella, B, 57.16; 2. Centi, C; 3. Smeltzer, C. 500 Free: 1. Slavinski, B, 6:04.61; 2. Confer, B; 3. Frownfelter, B. 200 FR: 1. Clearfield (Centi, Smeltzer, Bowser, Howell), 1:48.72. 100 Back: 1. Kahle, B, 1:04.40; 2. Russell, B; 3. Durandetta, C. 100 Breast: 1. Frownfelter, B, 1:16.40; 2. Mellgard, C; 3. Day, C. 400 FR: 1. Clearfield (Centi, Smeltzer, Bowser, Howell), 4:01.86.
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