Two Relays and Five Individual Events Qualify For the 2017 Ohio State Division I
Swimming and Diving Championships
Three School and Four Freshman Records Broken at the Northeast Ohio District Championships in Cleveland. The Boardman Spartan boys posted some very fast times at Cleveland State University’s Robert F. Busbey Natatorium this past Saturday. Juniors Kyle Kimerer and Callen Aulizia were joined by freshmen Noah Basista and Matthew DunLany as the Spartan qualifiers. The four boys started the meet by finishing in second place in the 200 medley relay with a jaw dropping school record time of 1:35.07. The boys had broken the record earlier in the season with the time of 1:36.64.
The top two places automatically advance to the state championships next Friday and Saturday. DunLany swam a 25.80 on the opening 50 backstroke leg. Basista had a solid start and finished his 50 breaststroke with a best split time of 26.46. Kimerer had a great take-off and posted a career best split of 22.82 in the 50 butterfly. Boardman was in 5 th place when Aulizia hit the water and swam the fastest 50 free split in the entire meet of 19.99. The sub 20 time got the attention of everyone when it flashed up on the natatorium’s giant video board. Aulizia passed everyone up except Breckville who took first place in the time of 1:34.73. Terry O’Halloran commented on the race. “What an electrifying way for us to start this district meet. We were swimming very fast from the beginning of the relay but the field was pulling away from us. The noise was deafening and the excitement was out of control when Cal hit the water. I haven’t seen very many sub 20 times in Ohio high school swimming in my 32 year career. Shaving 1.6 seconds off the school record was also very impressive. Coaches Carlo Cordon, Chad DeAngelo, and I were speechless after we saw the times.” The same four boys ended the meet in a similar fashion by knocking 3 seconds off the Spartan 400 freestyle relay record while placing second in the time of 3:10.41. Only 1.3 seconds separated the top three relay teams. Hudson finished first in the in the time of 3:09.05 and Brecksville posted a third place time of 3:10.37. All four Spartans had career best times in the event. Kimerer led off in a 47.78. DunLany swam a split time 48.90. Basista, who had just raced in the 100 breaststroke 15 minutes earlier, swam his best split time of 48.41. Aulizia held on to second place by splitting 45.12 on the anchor. Aulizia also is going to state in the 50 free, third place, and the 100 free, fifth place, with career best times of 20.76 and 45.86. Basista edged Tyler O’Halloran off the school record board in the 200 individual medley with the state qualifying time of 1:56.85. O’Halloran’s school record time of 1:56.88 was set in 2002. Basista broke his own freshman record in a state qualifying time of 58.73 in his second place finish in the 100 breaststroke. The school record in that event is 56.94 and was set by Ryan Bailey in 2012. Kimerer will compete in the 100 butterfly by posting a state qualifying time of 51.68 in his 5 th place finish. DunLany reset his freshman records in the 100 butterfly (53.08) placing 12 th and the 500 freestyle event (4:56.25) placing 13 th . The current 500 freestyle record is held by Matthew’s older brother Aaron in the time 4:43.64. Just missing the state meet in the district qualifier was senior diver Dominic Mariano who placed 8 th with an eleven dive score of 399.35 points. The 7 th place score of 400.55 was earned by Solon freshman Josh Schwartz. The top 7 places from the northeast district division I field automatically qualify to the state meet.
Over 50 teams competed at this year’s district championships. Solon High School won the meet with the score of 223 points. Boardman was 7 th place with 177 points. On the girl’s side Boardman was unable to break through with any state qualifiers in what most coaches at the meet said was the fastest girl’s district meet ever swam at Cleveland State. Hudson won the meet with 344.5 points and Boardman placed 16 th with 45.5 points. (Coach O’Halloran) Our girls had a super season. They finished with a 12 and 2 win loss record and they also won the American Athletic Conference and the Northeast Aquatic Conference team titles which we have never done in the same year. Overall we are a very young and talented team. Unfortunately most of our girls do not belong to a year-around swim team program such as Penguin Swimming or the Y-Neptunes. That puts them at a distinct disadvantage when we go up against teams that have 30 to 40 swimmers and divers who practice spring, summer, and fall before the next high school season in November. There are no shortcuts in diving or swimming. How much time and work you spend on the boards or in the water will determine your level of success.”
Boardman’s District Places and Times were as follows: PB=Personal Best, FR=Freshman Record,
MR=Meet Record, SR= Boardman School Record, Bold = Name of State Qualifier
200 Medley Relays: Boys: Matt DunLany Noah Basista Kyle Kimerer Callen Aulizia 2 nd 1:35.07 SR
200 Freestyle: Girls: Kelsey Calpin 37th th 2:08.39 Boys: Kyle Kimerer 11th 1:46.29 PB, Will Linker 29 th 1:54.55,
Aidan Cervello 30 th 1:54.78
200 Individual Medley: Girls: Mikel Flatley 25th 2:17.03, Boys: Noah Basista 7th 1:56.85 PB FR SR, Nicholas DiGiacomo 24 th 2:08.73
50 Freestyle: Girls: Jennah Markovitch 14 th 25.14 PB, Alison Kuras 39 th 26.46, Boys: Callen Aulizia 3 rd 20.76 PB,
David Giancola 22 nd 22.63, Mason Rassega 30 th 23.21
1 Meter Diving (11Dives): Girls: Megan Janak 9th 320.30 pts., Madison Rast 13 th 309.80, Gizzy Kelso 17 th 215.pts.,
Madison Ricciuti 25 th 121.45 Boys: Dominic Mariano 8 th 271.60 pts.
100 Butterfly: Girls: Mikel Flatley 14 th 1:00.70 PB, Kelsey Calpin 35 th 1:05.94, Boys: Kyle Kimerer 5 th 51.68,
Matthew DunLany 12 th 53.08 PB FR,
100 Freestyle: Girls: Jennah Markovitch 14 th 54.99 PB, Boys: Callen Aulizia 5th 45.86 PB, Mason Rassega 25 th
50.65 PB, David Giancola 26 th 50.75
500 Freestyle: Girls: Sarah Murray 25 th 5:34.24 PB, Sidney Hull 38 th 5:47.64 Boys: Matthew DunLany 13 th 4:56.26
PB FR, Will Linker 24 th 5:08.89
200 Freestyle Relays Girls: Mikel Flatley, Ella Hare, Alison Kuras, Jennah Markovitch 7 th 1:41.00
Boys: Mason Rassega, Will Linker, Nicholas DiGiacomo, David Giancola 12 th 1:30.76
100 Breaststroke: Girls: Alison Kuras 37 th 1:15.22, Boys: Noah Basista 2 nd 58.73 SR FR PB, Nicholas DiGiacomo
27 th 1:04.75
400 Free Relays: Girls: Mikel Flatley, Sarah Varga, Kelsey Calpin, Jennah Markovitch, 16 th 3:50.15
Boys: Kyle Kimerer, Matthew DunLany, Noah Basista, Callen Aulizia 2 nd 3:10.21 SR