Last splash ‘til state

Posted 2/23/16

And technically, Kacey Creed didn’t swim the second-fastest 100-yard breaststroke in Powell High School boys’ history. But with his disqualified time of 1:04.67, earned without the benefit of a taper, the sophomore proved how dangerous he can be …

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Last splash ‘til state

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Panthers beat Worland, set new personal bests in final meet

Typically, a swimmer doesn’t unleash a record-breaking performance when all logic says his body should be at its most fatigued.

And technically, Kacey Creed didn’t swim the second-fastest 100-yard breaststroke in Powell High School boys’ history. But with his disqualified time of 1:04.67, earned without the benefit of a taper, the sophomore proved how dangerous he can be for the Panthers at this weekend’s Class 3A Swimming and Diving Championships in Gillette.

“He knows he can do it, he’s a great athlete. He has a great attitude and can bounce back from it,” PHS head coach Stephanie Warren said. “He’s like, ‘I know I can do it at state.’”

Creed was disqualified when he entered a neighboring lane to celebrate with a teammate before all of the swimmers had completed the race.

“Technically it doesn’t count, but it’s definitely a learning opportunity, and it’s definitely a good eye-opener to show us that we have to have everything in order,” Warren said.

Powell remained at 15 state-qualified swimmers through Friday’s meet against Worland, but four Panthers added events and several others swam personal bests in the 114-59 dual win.

Senior Josh Riedhammer and junior Nate Magill both qualified in the 100-yard back. Riedhammer finished third with a time of 1:12.09 while Magill swam a fourth-place time of 1:12.71.

Sophomore Braden Schiller took third in the 200-yard free with a qualifying time of 2:13.97, and junior Owen Dent qualified in the 100-yard fly with a time of 1:07.56.

“We’re in a good spot,” Warren said. “A lot of our qualifiers swam tired, which is what they should have been. So hopefully they’re going see the benefit of their taper this week, as they get more energy.”

Junior Joe Kuntz won the 500-yard free with a personal best time of 5:55.53, followed by Ky Davis’ personal best time of 6:30.49, good for second place, and Dominik Johnson’s mark of 7:17.86.

Senior Seth Fuller won the 200-yard free with a personal best time of 1:58.52. Sophomore Dillinger Wilkerson took sixth in the race with a 2:21.62, a cut of 6.02 seconds off his previous mark.

Senior Brandon Anderson won the 100-yard free with a time of 56.92 and a margin of just 0.29 seconds.

Freshman Alan Merritt was one second shy of a qualification in the 200-yard IM. Merritt took second with his time of 2:36.

Senior Tyson Wages swam the 100-yard breast in 1:20.41, just short of the 1:20 mark needed to qualify in Class 3A.

Dent narrowly missed his second qualification of the day when he finished fourth with a time of 27.09 in the 50-yard free. The Class 3A qualifying time is 26.50. Creed won the event in 23.95.

The Panthers scheduled practices for Monday and Tuesday at the Powell Aquatic Center. The team leaves for Gillette on Wednesday, and will practice at the Campbell County Aquatic Center that afternoon.

“We pretty much have three days to have everything in order,” Warren said. “Being tapered down a little bit and focusing on some of the things like turns and touches. That can help a lot in different areas, with seconds here and there.”

The taper — a reduction of work in order to rest the body and optimize performance — is the main physical reason the Panthers should see an increase in performance at state. Warren said another factor — elite competition — may drive them even more.

“I think this is going to be one of the most exciting states that we’ve been to in a long time,” Warren said. “Lander has fast swimmers, but Worland has a couple fast swimmers, Rawlins has a couple fast swimmers, and when we put our guys next to their’s, they really want to push themselves.”

Warren said Creed could again challenge the PHS Hall of Fame board for second, or even first, all-time in the 100-yard breast.

Creed’s unofficial time was 0.93 shy of John Arross’ time from 1984.

“Considering his time was a 1:04 without a taper, I think it’s possible,” Warren said. “Kacey, being just a competitor — Seth’s a competitor too — they like to race. They get in and that’s what helped them even more than a taper, I think.”

All eyes will be on the Lander Tigers as they continue their quest for 20 straight state titles, but the Panthers, who have finished second in back-to-back seasons, could cut into their spotlight with another — official — record-setting day.

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