A year wiser, Haverford’s Pettit leaps toward his goal
PHILADELPHIA >> When Collin Pettit left the District One Championships as a freshman last March, his goals crystallized.
An 18th-place finish in the 500 freestyle, his only event, made the objective for the next season obvious.
Saturday, the sophomore put himself in great position to achieve it.
Pettit finished seventh in the 500 at La Salle University’s Kirk Natatorium, just missing the five automatic berths to the PIAA Class AAA Championships. His time of 4 minutes, 40.29 seconds is well under last year’s cut for the final at-large bid to states, which was 4:44.29.
Pettit’s time is 14 seconds faster than last year’s meet. He’s steadily dropped time, from 4:52 in the regular season to 4:46 at Centrals two weeks ago.
“I worked relay hard all season,” Pettit said. “I wasn’t really nervous going into it because I knew I was only going to do as well as I trained, and I felt that I did well enough to make it.”
He got a confidence boost Saturday from a bevy of strong Haverford swims, with time drops across the board. Leo Goldszal leapt from the 50s to 48.61 seconds in his 100 free, earning 17th place. Matt Phillips trimmed a chunk out of his 100 backstroke time, placing 11th in 53.99, a drop of 2.28 ticks. Freshman David Abrahams went a second and a half faster than his seed to grab 14th in the 100 breaststroke.
“I’ve been swimming with Leo for a long time, and just seeing him go 48 in the 100 free and completely skip 49, that gave me confidence, since we tapered together, that I could drop time, too,” Pettit said. “… It’s cool seeing everyone drop time, and it gives you confidence.”
This meet is an important milepost for a young Fords nucleus quickly coming of age. As a junior, Phillips is the elder statesmen, leading off the 400 free relay that finished 11th in 3:16.23. That squad is a longshot for states, which disappoints Pettit. But he’s happy with their progress and what it portends.
“This season, we went in with our relay being like a 3:24, and to get down to a 3:16, that’s amazing what we accomplished,” he said.
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Delco lacked a boys automatic states qualifier Saturday. The closest individuals were Pettit and Radnor’s Greg Giannella, who clocked in at 47.81 seconds in the 100 free for seventh. His time broaches the last at-large berth in 2015 (47.84).
Strath Haven freshman Will Resweber finished ninth in the 500 free in 4:43.46 and stands a shot at states. Donnie Taziole’s odds are longer, as the Ridley junior went 53.92 for 10th in the 100 back. The cut fell at 53.12 last year.
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When Wyatt Amdor looked at the clock, he felt a momentary pang of disappointment. It lasted about as long as it took his eyes to locate his Upper Dublin teammates’ times.
The University of Kentucky signee won the 100 breast in 55.99 seconds, narrowly missing the district record set in 1998 by Haverford grad and Olympian Brendan Hansen by .06 seconds.
While Amdor admits that record was a goal, the frustration of it surviving was minor. He didn’t rest for the meet – and has the three-day beard to prove it – so he hoped to get close to the mark without being heartbroken if he fell short.
“It was a goal, but our coach always tells us it’s all about the process,” Amdor said. “I’m in the process of tapering. So it was a goal, and if I didn’t get it, I didn’t freak out.”
Amdor’s teammates, Jake Easton and Devon Polak, erased the sting with their performances. Both registered 58s for top-six finishes, helping the Cardinals win the team title.
“I looked up and my teammates go their best times by two full seconds, and that made my meet so far,” Amdor said. “That was more important than not getting the record.”
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Another storied Delco standard vanished Saturday, with Eugene Botes’ Class AA 100 back record dashed by Owen Robinson of Calvary Christian.
The Garnet Valley standout and South African Olympian set the standard at 52.69 seconds in 1998. Robinson undercut it by a full second, winning in 51.67 en route to being named Class AA most outstanding swimmer of the meet.
Haverford grad Shane Ryan’s meet record in the 50 free fell Friday night thanks to Upper Dublin’s Michael Jensen, who led off the 200 free relay in 20.19. Ryan went 20.44 in 2012. Jensen, the AAA most outstanding swimmer, twice set the 100 free record Saturday, winning the individual event in 44.06, then leading off UD’s winning 400 free relay with a 44.03 leg. West Chester Henderson’s Andrew Kosic owned the mark since 2011.
