Strath Haven’s Resweber leaves states with shiny silver
LEWISBURG >> Frances Resweber didn’t need a warning to know that two lanes away, Oxford’s Morgan Curl was mounting a charge with 150 yards left in the 500 freestyle at the PIAA Class AAA Championships Thursday.
She recalled that the junior nipped her at the line at districts, dropping her to bronze. But with the Strath Haven senior’s control of her final race, there wasn’t a chance of Curl, seen or not, replicating that feat.
The Davidson signee powered her way to second place in the 500, clocking in at 4:55.21. It’s an improvement of one place and four seconds from last year.
“I just thought, I can’t let her get me at the end,” Resweber said of Curl. “I have to try to hold on and use my legs, which has been a big part of my training.”
The plan crafted by coach Dina Dormer was to maintain Resweber’s “easy speed” on the first 200 before the switch flipped around the midway point. That speed seemed easier than the morning, which yielded the second spot in finals, and the build was more potent once Resweber turned on the jets.
Resweber also helped Strath Haven take 14th in the 400 free relay as the capper, ending four storied seasons and a relationship with Dormer that has lasted since she was eight.
“I’m happy with how everything turned out,” Resweber said. “Right off my best time, and I still have Y Nationals to try to do it again.”
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Despite finishing 10th in the 100 butterfly Wednesday, Radnor’s Julia Cullen labeled the effort a “pretty rough day.”
So Thursday morning, faced with a difficult draw, Cullen resolved to attack her 100 free swim. The result was a drop of nearly a second from her District One result, taking the ninth seed for finals in 51.66 seconds. She was faster in her finals race at 51.28, claiming second in the consolation final, 10th overall.
From earlier, video of @RHSwimDive‘s Julia Cullen in the 100 free B final pic.twitter.com/1LJGOEx9VN
— Matthew De George (@sportsdoctormd) March 18, 2016
From Lane 1 of the first circle-seeded heat, Cullen needed to start quickly to avoid the wash of the leaders. She was out quickly, staying within a half-second of the winner.
“I knew if I had to have a chance at finals, I had to be out fast with everyone,” Cullen said. “I had to place in my heat. So I tried to go out faster than I probably would’ve if I was in a middle lane.”
In the evening, with middle-of-the-pool placement, Cullen was again proactive. The more important tactic, though, was relaxing.
“I was just really relaxed and in the moment,” Cullen said. “I think that helped me a lot because I didn’t let my nerves get to me. I just swam my race and didn’t have any pressure on me, and when I looked at the board, I was so relieved. I finally dropped time.”
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Penncrest’s Claire Walsh finished fourth in the 100 free, clocking in 51.11 seconds. It’s the first time she didn’t drop time from one swim to another, but her prelims time improved her Delco record to 50.76.
Claire Walsh of @penncrestad (lane 3) fourth in the 100 free in 51.11 https://t.co/LxN08zS1BF
— Matthew De George (@sportsdoctormd) March 18, 2016
Ridley’s Gab Rudy kept chopping time off her best, going from 1:05.29 in prelims of the 100 breast to 1:05.18 in the consolation final. She finished 14th overall. … The same story holds true for Springfield’s Georgia Apostolu, who tallied a 57.23 in the 100 back, good for 13th.
