Alden, Neuqua set more records
As expected, Neuqua Valley won the team title at Saturday's Waubonsie Valley Aqua Pentathlon and state champion Brian Alden won the individual competition.
But some of the details of that double victory were remarkable.
With 21,451 points, Neuqua Valley broke its own record for highest score in the meet, 21,130, set in 2005.
Alden broke the meet record in both the 50 freestyle, with a time of 21.09, and the 100 breaststroke, which he finished in 58.49.
He also tied the record for most points by an individual with 4,797, a mark set by Dan Trupin of Champaign Central in 2000.
"It was our goal to break the team points record," said Neuqua Valley coach Chad Allen. "We swam better than we did last year at this meet, getting good performances from all five scorers. The guys finished off better in the 200 free this year."
Even though Alden won all five races easily, he was a little disappointed with his performance all the way around.
His goal was to break the individual points record and he only tied it, and he was not pleased with the two record-breaking races.
"In the 50 I missed the wall and didn't swim into the turn," Alden said. "In the breaststroke I should have gone faster."
Also on the list of Wildcats highlights were the all-around performances turned in by a pair of emerging sophomores Brien Gerber, who finished sixth in the competition, and Hans Peters, who was eighth.
"Brien has been our man in pentathlons the past two days," Allen said. "He's a well-rounded swimmer who can do it all. He and Peters are stepping up."
"Peters and Gerber give it all they can in every meet," Alden said. "They're going to be very important to us at the end of the year."
His success in the pentathlon, in which a competitor is called upon to swim every stroke, gives Gerber confidence that he can do well at state.
"I'm going for top six in the IM, and I hope to also make it in the breaststroke," Gerber said. "Last year I would start out well and then fall off. This year I'm finishing much better."
Host Waubonsie Valley, which finished second with 20,636 points, also had three swimmers in the top 10, all representatives of the Warriors' great junior class.
Jim Zuponeck was runner-up to Alden, while Jack Poletto finished fourth and Taylor Pattison was 10th.
"You get to see everything you can do in a meet like this," said Zuponeck, whose 1:01.41 in the breaststroke was under the state cut and good for second-best time.
"This was a good meet for us," said Waubonsie Valley coach Chad Ganden. "We had some fine swims, and it's going to be a good transition to the back end of the season. Jim had some outstanding swims, Jeff Sellers was great in the breaststroke, and Tyler Hunt, a freshman, did a real good job."