Cardinal swimmers focus on state meet

Focus. Fun. Work.

All five Newton Cardinal boys used those words in describing this week heading into Saturday’s 2016 Iowa High School Boys’ State Swimming Championships.

Newton qualified in six events at last Saturday’s district swim meet in Johnston. The Cardinals are ready to compete in the state meet at the Marshalltown YMCA-YWCA.

“Our main goal for Saturday is try to improve our times. As long as we improve our times, we’ve had a successful meet,” Newton head coach Dave Hook said. “I’m very pleased with our seedings going into the state meet. Our relays will be in the second heats right in the middle, which is a perfect place to be for a relay.”

State meet competition begins at 12:30 p.m. Saturday at the Marshalltown YMCA-YWCA swimming pool. Admission for all spectators is $10. The parade of teams is at 12:10 p.m.

Saturday’s IHSAA state swim meet will be video streamed live on the Internet through the NFHS Network. Go to NFHSNetwork.com for more information.

Seniors Isaak Webb and Aaron King lead the Cardinal contingent as the two will compete in their third straight state meet for Newton.

Sophomore Lucas Warner is going for a second consecutive year while junior Logan Heisdorffer and sophomore Jacob Knoll are competing in their first state meet.

Webb, King and Warner are from Pella Community High School. Webb and King have been swimming for Newton’s boys the past three years. Warner is in his second season on the combined swim team.

“We’re having fun this week, but working hard during our sets in practice,” Webb said. “This year the team — not just the guys going to state, but the whole team — had a different focus. It’s been a great year for us all.”

Webb won a district championship in the 100-yard breaststroke for the second year in a row. He finished second in the 100 butterfly. King and Warner went fifth and sixth in the district 50 freestyle and qualified for state. King was sixth in the butterfly and advanced to state while Warner was sixth in the 100 freestyle and moved on.

Newton qualified in two relay races. The Cardinals’ 200 medley team and the 200 freestyle relay took third at district. Heisdorffer combined with Webb, King and Warner for a season’s best time in the medley relay. Knoll joined King, Warner and Webb for a season’s best time in the freestyle relay.

“I’m really excited about state this season. For one thing I’m a senior, but more important this is the first time I’ve qualified in individual events,” King said. “I was so close in qualifying individually last year.”

Webb has the top time in the breaststroke coming out of the district meets at 57.80 seconds. He is seeded No. 1 in the event with No. 2 Paul Hummell of Cedar Rapids Jefferson coming in with a 58.03 time. In the 100 butterfly, Webb sits at No. 3 with a 51.09 and King is 22nd at 54.37 seconds.

Last year, Webb finished second at the state in the butterfly race and 13th in the breaststroke. Webb has the team records in both events. He said after the district meet he had been working hard in dropping time in the breaststroke because it is the event he would like to swim at the college level.

“This state meet is exciting for me, but also stressful. Last year, I could look to ‘next year’ to drop times and improve. Next year is now for me as I work toward the times I need for college,” Webb said.

“The butterfly is the fun event for me. It’s good I get it out of the way early in the day. With it I can get a feel for the pool and see what my body is doing.”

Webb said in the relays, he is out to do his best on his legs of each to help the team.

“I’m going in to have fun and swim my best on Saturday,” Webb said.

Newton’s 200 medley goes in with the 10th fastest time, 1 minute, 39.58 seconds, and the freestyle relay is seeded at No. 13 at 1:29.19. A year ago, Newton’s freestyle relay earned sixth-place medals with Warner, Webb and King on it. The three also were on the medley relay, which finished eighth.

King said the relay swimmers were working on turns and exchanges this week to help drop time.

“The goal for all of us is swimming fast,” King said. “I’ve got personal time goals for my two individual races. I’d like to go after the school record in the 50 (21.37), but that will be pushing it. I’m looking for a 53 in my 100 fly race.”

For Heisdorffer and Knoll, the state meet will be a new experience for them. Heisdorffer anchors the medley with a 50 freestyle leg. Knoll swims the third leg of the 200 freestyle relay.

“I want to break the time I had at district on my leg of the medley,” Heisdorffer said. “I’m excited to have this opportunity to compete at state. I’m looking to have a better start off the blocks and just be happy with myself at the end of the race.”

“I thought I swam really well at district. I didn’t drop as much time as I wanted to, but I did drop time,” Knoll said. “My goal is to swim my best time and help out the relay as much as I can. Our practices have been tough, but really good this week.”

Warner, who placed 22nd in the 100 freestyle at state a year ago, goes into this year’s state with the 19th fastest time at 49.18 seconds. King is seeded 21st in the 50 freestyle at 22.22 seconds and Warner is 23rd at 22.30.

“When I saw I got sixth in both the 50 and 100, I thought ‘dang it, I won’t make it to state,’ but we had a fast district, and I’m going,” Warner said. “I’d like to get in the mid 21s in the 50 and in the 48s in the 100. I’m working on my turns and my starts. The mindset is just finish hard.

“As for the relays, it is about just beating the guy next to you.”

Hook and assistant coach Sarah Patterson have been guiding the Cardinals through workouts this week.

“We’ve had good practices this week. The guys are having fun with it. Their focus is good. We’re working on doing the little things they’ve worked on all season to be better swimmers — good turns, good streamlines, good starts,” Hook said.

Contact Jocelyn Sheets at
641-792-3121 ext. 6535 or jsheets@newtondailynews.com