The Stanford Cardinal have to be feeling very good right now about their incoming class of 2012. Maybe not as good as the David Nolan class of 2011, but still very, very good.
This weekend, two of their top recruits broke records at their respective State Championship meets.
Illinois State Championship Meet
First, in Illinois, Danny Thomson twice broke the Illinois State High School Record in the 500 free, finishing with a swim of 4:18.86 to win the title. Before that 500, he also posted a very fast 1:37.47 in the 200 free, despite a very quick turnaround from swimming the anchor leg of Hindsdale Central's 7th-place medley relay.
Among other impressive swims in the meet was future Wisconsin Badger Max Grodecki's sprint sweep in the 50 free (20.24) and 100 free (44.66). As an indication of how significant those swims, compare them to results of this weekend's Big Ten Championship meet. Though Wisconsin had a solid meet overall, their free relays finished dead last, and to make matters worse the best swimmer on each relay is graduating. Grodecki's times as a senior would have already been good enough to slot into both relays and likely move each up at least a pair of spots. I can't wait to see what Whitney Hite does with this talent over the next four years.
Also in Illinois, a blast-from-the-past name emerged as a champion in the 100 fly: Andrew Jovanovic of Wilmette's Loyola Academy. He took the title in 48.78 (he was 48.73 in prelims).
Finals Results available here.
Texas 5A
Gray Umbach is another swimmer who broke many National Age Group records before high school, and is resetting on the path to greatness as he approaches his high school graduation. He broke two Texas State Records over the weekend, both of which were held by none other than Stanford swimmers. First, he took down the 200 IM mark of current Cardinal Matt Thompson with a win in 1:44.92. He was unable to better that mark in finals, but the swim stands as one of the fastest in the history of high school swimming.
He would then twice down the record held by former Cardinal and National Team swimmer Dan Wescott that had stood since 1999. Umbach first knocked it off in prelims with a 47.15, and then shaved it down again to 47.12 in finals.
He also led off College Park's 400 free relay in 44.65.
On the women's side of the meet, another future Stanford swimmer, Fort Worth Paschal's Julia Anderson, took wins in both the 100 (49.53) and 200 (1:45.88) freestyles. While neither of those are State Records, they're still extremely fast and rank in the top 5 in 5A (the biggest schools) history.
Another double winner on the women's side was future A&M swimmer Romy Landeck. Perhaps spurred on by the exploits of her future teammates at the Big 12 Championships, Landeck won both the 200 IM (2:01.67) and 100 breast (1:01.98). The story floating around the pool deck is that many of the top female swimmers were saving their full tapers for next weekend's Sectionals meet, and Landeck appears, based on her times, to be in that group. Look for her to be even better either next weekend, or at NCSA Junior Nationals the weekend after.
The Texas Longhorn men didn't sign a ton of swimmers for next year's freshman class. But the highest rated among them is San Antonio – Churchill's John Murray, who is the son of another former Longhorn and State Champion. He won the 100 free in 53.76, though he DQ'ed the 50 that he had a chance to win. He would lead off the 200 free relay in 20.00 Churchill High School is the same program that has produced swimming superstars like Jimmy Feigen, Annie Chandler, and the great Josh Davis.
Also special recognition is due to the Wooldands High School's Kassidy Cook, who won the girls' 1-meter title with a score of 549.50. That was 45 points better than her own previous state record. The National Teamer is one of the top three high school divers in the country, and will be the big catch of next year's class. Her teammate Kelly Markle, herself a former National Champion, took 3rd. She's yet another Stanford commit.
As for the team battle, Southlake Carroll in the Dallas area swept both the boys' and girls' State Championships this year. Most notably, the Carroll women won all three relays, and avoided the relay DQ that has cost them the last two team titles in the meet-closing 400 free relay each of the last two seasons. For the Carroll men, this is a second-straight win.
Texas 4A & Under
The smaller Texas schools are without the depth of the bigger meet, but there are still many great swimming programs that fall into this group – mostly because of the population boom in the state that is leading to the construction of new mega-schools. This leaves many of the state's most affluent and swimming-rich areas (including schools in Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio) falling into this smaller classification.
Notable swims include a win in the 50 free from future Princeton swimmer Brooke Powell in 20.28. He was the state 100 fly champion last season, but this year opted for the 100 free instead, where he was 3rd in 45.52 – though he would have probably won the 100 fly. Powell's swim would rank 2nd in the Ivy League so far this season, and combined with current Tiger freshman Harrison Wagner will make some formidable relays.
Future Florida swimmer Adam Bull from Pearce High School took two wins: one in the 200 IM (1:49.84) and one in the 500 free (4:30.47). That is a third-straight win for him in the 200 IM, after placing 2nd as a freshman.
And finally, Reid Elliott out of Austin's Lake Travis High School won the 100 back in a very fast 47.68. The only swims in Texas state history that have been faster are Cole Cragin's National Record and Matt Thompson's 5A State Record. Elliott is committed to swim for Michigan next year and fill a spot that the Wolverines need badly – more backstrokers.