Beck Sets National I.M. Standard; Breaststrokers Tie For First in Texas 5A State High School Championships

By Brian Savard

AUSTIN, Texas, March 1. IN a year where the lowering of the women's 200 I.M. national record seems as easy as lowering a limbo bar, Mary Beck of Austin Westlake has set the lowest standard to date.

Beck blasted through the first 100 of her 200 I.M. at the Texas 5A State High School Championships meet, splitting a 25.98 and a 28.26 for her respective butterfly and backstroke legs. She cooled off a little in the breaststroke swimming a 34.63 before bringing home her last 50 in a 28.54. Her 1:57.41 time eclipsed a 1:58.06 record set a week prior by Michelle McKeehan from Center Grove (Greenwood, Ind.).

In relay work, the Pflugerville 200 medley relay (Cassie Cunningham, Alannah Lawrence, Lacey Bobo and Sherill Thompson) destroyed the field with a sizzling 1:45.55 time. Meanwhile, Austin Westlake champion (Beck, Camille Hendrix, Madaline Wyatt and Samantha Tucker) turned in four swims that would win most state championships in the 100 freestyle in the 400 freestyle relay in a 3:25.57 time.

The diving competition fielded two divers who turned in nearly identical scores. Three-tenths of a point separated first from second as Kara Cook of Conroe Woodlands (422.85) and Lauren Caldwell of Midland Lee (422.55) took home the gold and silver, respectively. Third-place diver Jordan Morcom of Grapevine recorded a score of 414.85.

Austin Westlake's depth trumped the valiant efforts of the competition, taking the state title with 225 points. Conroe Woodlands (198.5) and Pflugerville (188.5), respectively, placed second and third.

Following the spectacle of a national-record swim in the women's competition, two men tied for first in the 100 breaststroke in the men's competition.

Not only did Benjamin Decker of Humble Kingwood and Joshua Hammervold of FB Hightower tie in finals, but they also tied in the preliminary heats. To make the situation even stranger, the men tied with the same exact time (56.88) in both prelims and finals.

Neil Caskey of Hous-Cy Falls picked up titles in the 200 IM (1:50.04) and the 100 butterfly (49.50). Texas's all-star lineup of swimmers brought out parity in the competition, as no other swimmer won two individual events.

Humble Kingwood's 200 medley relay (Garret Beaman, Decker, Patrick Smith and David Campbell) avoided a comeback by Austin Westlake and won by a comfortable one-second margin, clocking 1:34.76. The 200 freestyle relay (Kyle Sorge, Myles Wittkamper, Dan Ciliske and Beaman) touched the wall first in 1:25.41.

Humble Kingwood dominated the team competition by a lopsided margin (240.5). Southlake Carroll took second (150) and Plano (125.5) placed third to round out the top of the men's teams.

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