Kara Joyce Sets National High School 50 Free Mark, Leads Pioneer to Michigan High School “A” Title

ROCHESTER, MI., Nov. 17. WHAT a difference a year — and a thousnd miles — makes.

Last season as a sophomore at Webster High in suburban Webster, NY, sprinter Kara Lynn Joyce had a pretty good year, ranking eighth nationally in the 50 free (23.43) and 19th in the 100 (51.45).

Not bad for a 10th-grader.

However, a move to Ann Arbor, Michigan in the off-season and tutelege under the watchful eye of Coach Denny Hill at Pioneer High made all the difference
in the world.

In the finals of the Michigan Class "A" girls' swimming and diving championship Saturday evening at the Oakland University Aquatic Center Pool, Joyce set the water on fire.

And how.

Swimming for the Pioneers as a junior, Joyce set a national (public) high school record in the 50 free Friday evening in the prelims, then came back Saturday
to win the race — plus the 100 free too and help her team to its second-consecutive state championship.

Joyce's 50 time in the heats was 22.73, breaking the old national mark of 22.75 by Compbell County High's Kelly Bennett from the Wyoming prep championships two years ago.

However, Bennett had the advantage of swimming in the nearly mile-high altitude of Gillette.

Last Thursday, Miami Gulliver Prep junior Christina Swindle broke her own national prep standard in the 50 with a blazing 22.39 clocking during the Florida Class 3A Championships at the International Swimming Hall of Fame Pool in Ft. Lauderdale.

That time ranks her 19th on the all-time sc yards performers' ranking list.

So in the space of a couple of days both the girls' national prep and high school 50 free record have come a cropper.

Joyce also swam anchor on Pioneer's victorious 200 medley relay that clocked 1:46.47, fastest nationally this season and good enough to rank the Pioneers
No. 2 in the U.S. had the time been swum last season.

To cap her record-breaking evening, Joyce anchored the 400 free relay that won in a state-record 3:28.47 — equal to the No. 4 time last season.

Pioneer racked up 257 points en route to its second-straight title, most ever. Its margin of victory over runner-up Grand Haven — 118 points — was also the biggest ever.

"A swim coach is like a football coach," Hill said:
"You're always looking for the worst thing that can happen. It never did, though. The kids were focused in and did a great job."

Aside from Joyce's pair of wins, the only doubler was Grosse Pointe senior Kammy Miller, who won the 200 IM (2:04.25) and 100 breast (1:03.41). She also won this race last season (1:03.68) and that time ranked her eighth nationally, so she may well move into the Top 5-6 this year.

Without Joyce's strong anchor leg, Pioneer was no match for Grand Haven in the 200 free relay, finishing numero dos (1:37.77) to the champ's 1:35.64.

Grand Haven's Abby Seskevics, who swam the third leg on the winning 200 free relay, scored a victory in the 200 free (1:52.77). Rockford's Sami Jordan (58.45) was first in the 100 back with teammate Erin Meredith (58.84) second.

In the 100 fly the win went to Bloomfield Hills Lahser's Amanda Johnson (56.92); in the 500 free the winner was Howell's Jenny Perry (4:59.98); and Hudsonville's Jamie Lee Strating won the one-meter diving (427.15).

— Bill Bell

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