BLAST Blasts Four 13-14 Boys’ National Relay Records at Iowa State Champs

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa, March 9. THE 13-14 boys from BLAST (Black Hawk Area Swim Team) had everyone on their feet, cheering them on at the 2004 Iowa State Swimming Championships, held March 5-7 at the Coe College Natatorium in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, as they blasted four national age group (NAG) relay records.

The same four boys — Nick Cordes, Nathan Hohnstein, Chuck Christensen, and Jordan Wessels — were on all four relays and all are 14 years old. They swim for BLAST based in Cedar Falls, under the aegis of Coach Nick Lakin.

On Saturday, the Fab Four began by smashing the 200 yard free relay mark of 1:29.40 set by Circle C in 2002. The team of Cordes (21.60), Hohnstein (22.29), Christensen (22.13) and Wessels (21.33) touched in 1:27.35 — more than two seconds under the old mark.

That was for starters.

That evening, the boys took down a 12 year-old record in the 400 medley relay. Cordes (back, 53.68), Hohnstein (breast, 1:01.76), Christensen (fly, 54.44) and Wessels (free, 46.84) clocked 3:36.72. The old record was 3:37.45 by Greensboro (NC) Swimming.

Sunday: a new day, with new opportunities.

In the morning session, the BLAST boys clocked 1:38.51 for the 200 yard medley, well undr Circle C's 1:39.95 standard from '02. Cordes (back, 24.66), Hohnstein (breast, 28.21), Christensen (fly, 24.37) and Wessels (free, 21.27) had record #3.

All that was left was the 400 free mark of 3:15.59 by Circle C in 2002. BLAST saved the best for last, blasting that record by more than four full seconds. The team of Cordes (47.17), Hohnstein (49.01), Christensen (48.61) and Wessels (46.63) lit up the boards with a superb new NAG mark of 3:11.42.

It was a perfect weekend: four-for-four.

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