They are pond swimmers no more? competitive swimming has come a long way at Brandon High School.
When Todd Duncan joined the teaching staff at Brandon High School in 2002, there was no swim team, only a swim club with 10 participants.
In 2005, swimming became a varsity sport, with 48 members on the girls team, and 36 on the boys team and Duncan coaching both.
Last weekend, Duncan led the Brandon boys swim team to their first-ever Flint Metro League Swimming Championship. When the meet held at Fenton High School on Feb. 27 was over, Brandon was in first, with 443 points, followed by Fenton with 402, Holly in third with 383, Oxford fourth with 242, Swartz Creek fifth with 209, Lapeer West sixth with 199, and Kearsley/Clio last with 159 points.
‘It was a great feeling when they held the trophy up,? Duncan said of his Blackhawk swimmers.
‘They’ve come a long way? from what we call pond swimmers, who swim around in a lake, to competitive swimmers.?
He attributes their success to the hard work they put in over the summer. Duncan noted that in order to be fast and have the best times at meets, it is necessary to swim during the off-season to stay in shape. The Blackhawks finished their season 5-1 in the Metro League and 7-3 overall.
But the season isn’t over for all of the Brandon swimmers. This weekend, five Blackhawks, the most ever, will participate at the state meet at Oakland University. Reece Lamson, who won the 200 individual medley at the league championship with a time of 2:06.38, will compete in the same event at states.
He will also participate in the 200 medley relay at states with Kevin Kneller, Jacob Iceberg and Jon Pupillo, after the quartet got a second-place finish with a time of 1:47.08 at the league championship; and Kneller, Lamson, Iceberg and Dan Penix will also compete in a third event, the 400 freestyle relay, at states, after getting a second-place state qualifying time of 3:30.49 at the league championship.
Other Brandon finishes at the league championship included 200 freestyle: 3) Daniel Penix, 1:56.81 and 6) Ryan Schwerin, 1:59.49; 200 individual medley: 2) Jacob Iceberg, 2:14.89, 6) Anthony Gorney 2:29.47 and 8) Austin Lozier, 2:31.81; 50 freestyle: 7) Jonathan Pupillo, 24.95; Diving: 2) Martin Quertermous, 343.10 and 5) Jake Selak, 259.60; 100 butterfly: 2) Jacob Iceberg, 59.62, 5) Jonathan Pupillo, 1:02.72, and 8) Anthony Gorney, 1:08.43; 100 freestyle: 6) Kevin Kneller, 52.89; 500 freestyle: 1) Reece Lamson, 5:13.81, 4) Daniel Penix, 5:23.68 and 8) Ryan Schwerin 5:31.70; 200 freestyle relay: 3) A.J. Lozier, Jonathan Pupillo, Dan Penix, and Ryan Schwerin, 1:40.72; 100 backstroke: 2) Kevin Kneller, 1:02.10, 7) Jacob Dolecki, 1:08.99 and 8) Brayden Fisher, 1:11.06; and 100 breaststroke: 2) Daniel Jagger, 1:13.66. Pupillo said he was really happy to be part of the championship team, particularly since this is his senior year. ‘We had more morning practices, harder practices, and were more dedicated as a team,? he said. ‘We achieved our goal and now we just have to do well at states.?
Lamson, a junior, is excited to be going to state competition. ‘My dream is becoming reality,? he said.