SM East swims to fifth straight league title

Source: The Star

MIKE RANSDELL | The Kansas City Star

SM Northwest’s Brooke Brull (above) pulled off a rare feat Saturday: She beat Maddy Dalcamo in the 100 freestyle.

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Seeking a fifth consecutive Sunflower League championship Saturday at California Trail Junior High in Olathe, the Shawnee Mission East girls swimming and diving team found itself in uncharted waters.

“We thought this year Olathe Northwest would be the team to beat,” Lancers coach Rob Cole said. “We thought we could swim up and make it a meet, but we didn’t think we could exceed them.”

Despite winning only one event, however, SM East had no trouble lapping the league again, beating runner-up Olathe Northwest by 24 points and keeping the dynasty intact.

“We usually do well at league, and everyone really wanted to win five times in a row, so we were pretty motivated to beat Olathe Northwest,” said SM East junior Allison Kirby, who finished third in the 200-yard individual medley and 100 breaststroke.

The Lancers’ lone win came in the 200 freestyle relay — won by Stacy Coffyn, Katy Richardson, Taylor Burkhead and Marston Fries with a margin of nearly 4 seconds — but the squad’s depth prevailed.

Brull pulls stunnerShawnee Mission Northwest’s Brooke Brull looked first at her coach instead of the scoreboard after touching the wall in the 100 freestyle final — and his reaction told her all she needed to know.

“I didn’t know who won because it was so close, until I looked up and turned to see my coach jumping and yelling,” Brull said, reenacting Cougars coach Scott Virden’s fist-pumping reaction to her 0.05-second win.

Olathe Northwest junior Maddy Dalcamo, who Brull out-touched at the wall, hadn’t lost that race since state her freshman season two years ago.

“That was the best feeling in the world,” said Brull, who will swim at Kansas. “We’ve been battling it out forever. I thought she had me the whole time, but I was not going to give up the last 25. The last 25, I just still had it in me, so I went for it.”

But now Brull, who also won the 200 free Saturday, has a decision to make.

She’ll decide in the next week whether to stay in the 100 free or swim the 500 free at state.

submitted by TOD PALMER - 2009-05-09 22:18:02