Swimming & Diving
Chin helps girls add to title streak
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By Adam Cairns/ThisWeek
Members of the Upper Arlington girls swimming and diving team celebrate Feb. 26 after winning the Division I state championship. The Golden Bears scored 286 points to easily beat runner-up Cincinnati Ursuline Academy (212). For more photos from the state swim meet, go to ThisWeekSPORTS.com and click on "Slideshows."
CANTON - After months of preparation and training, Upper Arlington High School girls swimming and diving coach Dan Peterkoski had one final message for senior Abby Chin.
"He looked at me and said, 'Go out there and race. It's your last time. Just go out there and do what you know how to do,'" Chin said.
She listened to the advice.
The senior was part of four state title swims at the Division I meet Feb. 24-26 at the C.T. Branin Natatorium in Canton, helping the Golden Bears win their seventh consecutive state championship.
The Bears scored 286 points to finish ahead of Cincinnati Ursuline Academy (212).
Chin placed first in the 200-yard freestyle in 1 minute, 49.38 seconds and won the 500 free (4:48.93). Chin then anchored junior Gabby Veri, senior Kayla Hammerberg and junior Lauren Comer to first-place finishes in the 200 free relay (state-record 1:34.12) and 400 free relay (3:26.71).
Chin was fourth in the 500 free as a freshman and second as a sophomore and junior. Each time, someone different finished ahead of her.
She came into the event seeded third (4:55.28) behind Akron Firestone sophomore Katie Miller (4:52.15) and Mason freshman Zoe Thatcher (4:53.92). In the championship heat, Chin surged ahead on the fifth lap and held off Miller to win by .09 of a second.
"You don't see many races like the 500 free very often," Peterkoski said. "That was a special race."
"I'm so excited right now," Chin said. "I've gotten second the last two years in the 500 free and to go my senior year winning it is great."
The Bears needed depth to win the state title.
UA, which qualified 12 girls in 19 individual events and three relays, had at least one competitor in the championship heat of every event but diving and the 100 breaststroke. It also had two swimmers in the championship heat of the 50 free, the 100 free and the 200 free.
The strength of the team's lineup even surprised Peterkoski.
"We showed a lot more depth (in the finals) than we thought we'd have in the beginning of November," he said. "This was a year where we questioned our depth. These girls found a way to get it done."
The Bears received 110 points from their relays. In addition to winning the two free relays, freshman Betsy Trace and juniors Beth Long, Claire Van Fossen and Jessica Miller placed fourth in the 200 medley relay (1:46.83).
In 2009, Hammerberg joined Kristyn Fulcher, Maddie Armitage and Darcy Fishback in setting the previous state record (1:34.24) in the 200 free relay.
Hammerberg said helping to break that mark was the perfect way to close her senior season.
"When Abby touched the wall, it was like, 'Oh my God, we did it again,'" said Hammerberg, who also was third in the 100 free (51.69) and fourth in the 50 free (23.48). "(When we set the record the first time) I was a sophomore and I didn't know what was going on. To do it again as a senior feels that much more special because this one of my last races ever in high school."
"That was total motivation," added Veri, who placed sixth in the 100 free (51.95) and eighth in the 50 free (23.92). "We wanted it badly and gave it everything we had."
Van Fossen also was second in the 100 butterfly (56.69). Joining her on the awards podium were Comer, who was sixth in the 200 individual medley (2:06.24) and seventh in the 100 back (57.78), and Miller, who was eighth in the 200 free (1:54.93).
In addition to the championship heats, UA reached the consolation final in five events. Senior Jordan Russell was 10th in diving (407.7 points) and freshmen Jenny Smith (10th in 200 IM, 2:07.93; 11th in 500 free, 5:08.56), Betsy Trace (14th in 100 back, 58.59) and Elizabeth Weldon (12th in 500 free, 5:07.14) also scored for UA.
Also competing were sophomore Sarah Mamo (24th in 100 breast, 1:10.16), Miller (21st in 500 free, 5:10.96), senior Amy Trace (20th in 200 free, 1:56.84) and Weldon (19th in 200 free, 1:56.46).
"I never thought in a million years we'd be able to do this," Veri said. "I remember thinking winning five in a row my freshman year was just amazing. Now we've won seven. That's just incredible."
