MCHS swimmers keep improving

MCHS swimmers keep improving

Dec. 28, 2000

BY JIM THOMAS
Journal Sports Editor

What more can a coach ask of a young competitor than to show week to week improvement?

That’s what Montezuma-Cortez High School girls swimming coach Mark Knox is seeing as the 2000 part of the schedule is now in the history books.

"Right, they are doing great," Knox reported. "We are not world-beaters, but they are improving their times. That’s all I can ask for. They are improving their techniques."

The Panthers opened the season on Dec. 2 at the Montrose Relays.

Their best finish was third in the Open 220-yard Back (stroke). They finished with a time of 2 minutes, 38.57 seconds. On that relay were Sheena Burns, Jessica Millican, Suzy Smart, and Tess Haukeness. They also finished third in the Open 200 Medley in 2:27.20. Burns, Haukeness, Sarah Wallace, and Kelsey Green participated.

They placed fourth in the Open 220 Butterfly with a clocking of 2:17.69. Green, Wallace, Amy Greene, and Haukeness swam.

In the Open 400 medley, the Panthers placed fourth in 5:34.47. Wallace, Millican, Greene, and Green competed. They placed fifth in the Open 200 Back in 2:41.55. On that unit were Wallace, Tera Vallery, Lindsey Maez, and Smart.

Two relays came in fifth. They clocked 2:41.55 in the Open 200 Back and were timed in 5:34.47 in the Open 400 Medley. Members of the Open 200 Back squad were Wallace, Vallery, Maez, and Smart while Wallace, Millican, Greene, and Green swam on the Open 400 Medley.

The Panthers returned to Montrose the next week to face Gunnison, Central of Grand Junction-Palisade, and Montrose.

Green won the 50 Free Open in 28.15 seconds. She finished fourth in the 100 Fly Open in 1:26.31 while Greene placed fifth in 1:29.32. Millican captured fourth and Vallery placed fifth in the 200 Free Open with respective times of 2:46.50 and 2:54.94. Wallace captured fifth in the 500 Free Open in 7:46.71. Haukeness came in second in the 100 Back Open in 1:20.63 while Burns took fifth in 1:33.52. Millican also placed fifth in the 100 Breast Open in 1:29.27.

In the Open 200 Medley Relay, MCHS came in third and fifth. The "A" team of Haukeness, Millican, Green, and Wallace were timed in 2:24.32. The "B" team of Burns, Anna Newman, Jasmine Showers, and Smart touched the wall in 2"37.72. Cortez also finished third and fifth in the Open 200 Free Relay. Millican, Maez, Greene, and Vallery touched in 2:18.20 while Showers, Newman, Meghan Calvillo, and Jenna Dillion finished in 2:34.12. MCHS grabbed fourth in the Open 400 Free Relay in 4:46.00 with Green, Greene, Wallace, and Haukeness in the pool.

The Panthers competed the next day at Orchard Mesa Middle School Pool against Gunnison, Central-Palisade, and Grand Junction High.

Wallace came in fifth place in the 200 Free Open in 2:50.68. Green took second in the 200 Individual Medley in 2:47.22. Haukeness captured fourth in 50 Free Open in 31.60 while Maez finished fifth in 32.46 and Vallery sixth in 33.38. Maez also placed fifth in the 100 Fly Open in 1:25.27.

Green came in second in the 100 Free Open in 1:05.20. Vallery placed fourth in the 500 Free Open in 7:40.25. Haukeness won the 100 Breast Open in 1:22.45.

The MCHS Open 200 Medley Relay team of Haukeness, Millican, Maez, and Green came in second in 2:21.70 while the team of Burns, Newman, Greene, and Showers placed sixth in 2:34.19. The Open 200 Free Relay placed third in 2:16.15. That team included Haukeness, Millican, Showers, and Vallery. The squad of Newman, Tracy Berhost, Whitney Carnahan, and Smart placed sixth in 2:34.88. The Open 400 Free Relay team of Green, Wallace, Maez, and Greene came in third in 4:49.62 while the unit of Showers, Smart, Berhost, and Burns came in fifth in 5:23.23.

"Overall, some of them are better than what I thought they would be. And there are a few who haven’t performed as well as I would like them to at this point. But all of them are coming along fine. They are all progressing," he added.

The Panthers, who are taking off this week for the holidays, will return to the pool at the Centennial Invitational in Pueblo on Jan. 5-6. The first day will consist of double dual meets while the second day will be a triangular.