Swimmers have sights set on state meet

Austin Hallett wants to rewrite the record book while he’s at it.

Austin Hallett wants to put his talent where the records are.

“My goal this year is to pretty much wipe out the high school (record) board,” the Spartan sophomore swimmer said. “There’s a couple records that I’m going to have to work for, though.”

He’s got a good start already, breaking the school’s 200 individual medley and 200 freestyle records this year, after topping the 100 breaststroke last year.

Head coach Kaycee Taylor feels Hallett has a good shot to get the rest as the Bainbridge swim and dive team gets the 2005-06 season off and running.

“I think he’s going to be my breakout swimmer this year,” Taylor said. “He’s the guy to watch.”

As a freshman, Hallett was sixth in the 200 IM and 10th in the 100 breast at the state meet in February. He already qualified in the 100 freestyle with a time of 48.31 and the 200 IM with a time of 1:57.88, achieved in the Spartan’s first meet against O’Dea last Friday.

Hallett could be joined by junior diver Olaf Olsen and sophomore diver Cheyne Clark. Both reached finals at State, with Olsen finishing second and Clark 13th.

Taylor also feels good about senior Clif McKenzie, in his second year with the program, and senior Jon Swanson. Both were part of the 200 medley relay that finished sixth at State.

“We’ve got five or six guys that are going to be pretty solid throughout,” Taylor said.

As a team, Bainbridge finished fifth at the Metro meet, in the top 10 at Districts and 11th at State, and that’s where Taylor expects his team to be again.

“I’d like to be in the top 10,” he said. “No matter how many good swimmers we have, it’s very tough for us going against these top-class teams in Metro.

“At the end of the season, we can have some good solid swims and come up fourth or fifth. And I’m happy with that. It’s just that when I look at the other teams we swim against, I get a little discouraged.”

Bainbridge got off to a rough start, losing to O’Dea 96-57 last Friday, but defeated North Kitsap 123-55 on Tuesday.

Hallett scored another state qualifying time in the 200 free with a time of 1:45.94 and in the 100 free with a time of 48.15.

The Spartans took first in every event but one.

“I think this was a good representation of how the season is going to go,” Taylor said. “I was really pleased with the new guys. For some of the kids, it’s their second meet ever and to see them come out and have good swims and work on the fundamentals that we’ve done, I was very happy.”

Bainbridge, which took on Eastside Catholic yesterday, travels to South Kitsap Tuesday.

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