Pottsgrove’s Prior goes for gold in AA 200 IM at District 1 meet
PHILADELPHIA >> Both of them had plenty of experience at the District 1 Class AA Swimming Championships.
Still, Pottsgrove’s Mike Prior and Kevin Basch didn’t fully expect to each be sporting a pair of top-two medals after the opening day Friday at La Salle University’s Kirk Natatorium.
Prior captured a gold medal in the 200 individual medley, where he posted a personal best 2:00.28 to earn an automatic bid to swim at the PIAA Championships in a couple weeks.
“It’s amazing to finally have this,” said Prior clutching his gold medal. “It’s been my goal since the beginning of the season and what I’ve been working toward.”
Also earning an automatic bids to compete at the PIAA Championships at Bucknell in two weeks was Owen J. Roberts senior Colin Bauer in the 50 free by placing fourth and the 100 fly by finishing in third place.
Early on in his heat, Prior found himself neck-in-neck with Lower Moreland sophomore Chris Kelly swimming in the lane beside him. Knowing his own personal strengths and weaknesses, though, ultimately proved the difference.
“The way I have to swim the individual medley — since I’m kind of a weak breaststroker — I’ve got to try and gain a lead on the backstroke and find a way to hold them off on the breaststroke. By the time we got to the breaststroke, I had plenty of distance.”
Pottsgrove’s Mike Prior (Lane 3) takes first in the 200 IM with a 2:00.28. pic.twitter.com/iDbK17LJbh
— Thomas Nash (@Thomas_Nash10) March 4, 2016
At the conclusion of day one, Pottsgrove is tied for third place with Springfield-Montco with 132 points in the AA team rankings. Lower Moreland leads with 242 points followed by Upper Moreland with 150. Upper Perkiomen is in fifth with 119 points.
In AAA action, Owen J. Roberts sits in ninth place with 57 team points. North Penn currently leads the way with 156 points followed by Upper Dublin with 144. Boyertown sits at 19th with 22 points.
Just a couple days after committing to Division I Delaware University, Basch, a senior, left opening day with a pair of silver medals.
He posted a 1:44.02 in the 200 free, behind only Lower Moreland’s Connor Killion (1:42.46). Though he doesn’t earn an automatic bid to the state championship, his time puts him in the hunt for time qualification.
“That’s been the goal all season — to get back to states,” said Basch. “I swam well in the 200 and put up a pretty good time, so I’ve got to be happy about it.”
The Falcons opened the meet with a silver finish in the 200 medley relay, posting a 1:42.52. Prior swam the first leg, followed by Patrick Agnew, Basch and Sean Orrison on the anchor. The relay also puts Pottsgrove up for a time qualification.
The Falcons also closed the meet with a fifth-place medal in the 200 free relay (1:31.11). Agnew swam the first leg, followed by Jacob Harvey, Orrison and anchored by Prior.
“All the medals and the places — those are really great,” said Pottgrove first-year head coach Alex Diehl, “but these guys should be most proud of all the times they cut. That’s the best part of all of this.”
After coaching Pottstown the past few seasons, which competed time-only events throughout the season, Diehl says coaching an entire team at districts is a whole new experience.
“Having a whole team cheering each other on and working to get better, that makes this meet worth it all even more,” he said. “These guys have been working so hard throughout the season, so I’m really proud of everything they’ve accomplished here so far.”
In AAA action, Bauer, a senior accomplished a goal he’d set out to achieve in the earliest days of his high school career.
In earning another trip to the state championships, he has now advanced in all four tries with the Wildcats.
“Each year I set a few goals and work all season to achieve them,” he said. “That was the biggest goal — to be able to get back to states for a fourth time.”
Bauer took fourth place in the 50 free where he posted a 21.49. He then immediately needed to shift his focus to the next event, the 100 fly.
“I was a little worried coming in,” he admitted. “Going back to back in two straight events, I didn’t think I’d have enough time to rest.”
He took advantage of what little down-time he had, posting a 51.28 in the fly to capture the bronze.
Now he’ll shift his focus to Saturday, where he only competes in the 400 free relay, where Owen J. Roberts is seeded at No. 13.
“It’ll be my last district swim,” he said with a smile, “gotta make the most of it.”
NOTES >> In other AA action, Upper Perkiomen took fifth place in the 200 medley relay (1:46.47) and the 200 free relay (1:33.94). In AAA, Boyertown’s Patrick Lance just missed the state cut in the 100 fly, posting a 51.81 for eighth place. He also took 10th in the 200 free with a 1:44.54. “The competition got with me today and I kind of lost track,” said Lance. “Obviously I wasn’t the best, but it gives me good motivation for tomorrow.”
