{"id":59035,"date":"2014-07-15T18:22:25","date_gmt":"2014-07-16T01:22:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/beta.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=59035"},"modified":"2016-10-24T12:11:25","modified_gmt":"2016-10-24T19:11:25","slug":"nisca-all-american-showcase-mercersburg-boys-pioneer-girls-ahead-of-their-time-in-200-free-relays","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/nisca-all-american-showcase-mercersburg-boys-pioneer-girls-ahead-of-their-time-in-200-free-relays\/","title":{"rendered":"NISCA All-American Showcase: Mercersburg Boys, Pioneer Girls Ahead of Their Time in 200 Free Relays"},"content":{"rendered":"

PHOENIX, Arizona, July 15. AS part of our 11-day series highlighting the National Interscholastic Swim Coaches Association\u2019s release of the 2013-14 All-America lists, Swimming World<\/i> will also be looking at the history of each event that is part of the high school schedule. Today, we’re looking at the 200-yard free relay. First added to the NISCA All-American lists in 1991, the 200-yard free relay has a much smaller set of history. But, there’s still been some seriously fast times in just 23 years being recognized by NISCA.<\/p>\n

Not only did Mercersburg Academy stand ahead of its time in the 200-yard medley relay<\/a> in 1992, it also had an amazing outing in the 200-yard free relay.<\/p>\n

At the 92nd Eastern Interscholastic Championships at LaSalle University in Philadelphia, the quartet of Brian Craft (21.20), Zack Gipson (20.53), Geri Hewett (20.62) and Greg Gipson (20.35) became the first high school team to ever break 1:23 in the event with a 1:22.70.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had four good legs that came together at one time,\u201d Mercersburg coach Pete Williams said back in 1992. \u201cI don’t think we’ll duplicate that one. The relay was as fast as many college teams.\u201d<\/p>\n

Though Mercersburg would not have scored any points in the 200 free relay at the 1992 NCAA Division I championships, the team would have finished second-to-last in the meet, beating Virginia\u2019s 1:22.89. Mercersburg would have finished fourth overall at the Division II championships that year.<\/p>\n

Outside of Brother Rice giving the mark a run in 1996 with a 1:22.80, Mercersburg’s amazing swim would stand as the top high school record until 2009 when Glenbrook South raced to a 1:22.15.<\/p>\n

Mercersburg’s time would still rank fourth in the nation this year behind only Creighton Prep (1:22.31), Bolles (1:22.32) and Loyola (1:22.57).<\/p>\n

BOYS 200 FREE RELAY TOP TIMES PER YEAR<\/b>
\n1991, 1:23.12, Bolles School
\n1992, 1:22.70, Mercersburg
\n1993, 1:23.15, Kingwood
\n1994, 1:23.75, Carmel
\n1995, 1:23.97, Peddie School
\n1996, 1:22.80, Brother Rice
\n1997, 1:23.25, Brother Rice
\n1998, 1:24.62, Brother Rice
\n1999, 1:23.21, St. Francis DeSales
\n2000, 1:23.88, Bolles School
\n2001, 1:24.59, Souderton Area
\n2002, 1:24.59, Ann Arbor Pioneer
\n2003, 1:23.39, Lake Forest
\n2004, 1:24.92, Carmel
\n2005, 1:23.86, Brophy Prep
\n2006, 1:23.60, Westlake
\n2007, 1:23.41, New Trier
\n2008, 1:23.04, Yucaipa
\n2009, 1:22.15, Glenbrook South
\n2010, 1:22.74, Montgomery Bell
\n2011, 1:21.01, Hershey
\n2012, 1:22.91, LaSalle College
\n2013, 1:19.27, Bolles School
\n2014, 1:22.31, Creighton Prep<\/p>\n

During the 2002-03 season, future four-time Olympic silver medalist Kara Lynn Joyce revolutionized high school sprinting at the Michigan High School State Championships. Swimming for Ann Arbor Pioneer, Joyce put up what was called \u201ca virtuoso performance not likely to be rivaled in the near future,\u201d by Swimming World in the February 2003 issue.<\/p>\n

Joyce clocked a national high school record 22.04 as the leadoff for Pioneer’s amazing 200-yard free relay record of 1:32.77.<\/p>\n

“Setting a national record by yourself is one thing, but being able to share it with three other people on a relay makes it even more special. We did something pretty amazing together,” Joyce told Swimming World<\/i> in 2003.<\/p>\n

Joyce was joined by Margaret Kelly, Jennifer Merte and Leigh Cole as part of the record-breaking swim.<\/p>\n

By the time Joyce’s efforts at her Michigan state championships were said and done, she had been involved in setting or resetting five national records and seven state records. That included a 48.69 in the 100 free, and a 1:46.75 in the 200 free.<\/p>\n

Pioneer would have place well this year on the NISCA All-American lists, as the 1:32.77 from 2002 would have placed third in the nation this year. Only Carmel (1:31.37) and Bolles (1:32.74) were faster.<\/p>\n

GIRLS 200 FREE RELAY TOP TIMES PER YEAR<\/b>
\n1991, 1:35.69, Zeeland
\n1992, 1:36.59, Germantown Academy
\n1993, 1:34.98, Pine Crest
\n1994, 1:35.26, Xavier Prep
\n1995, 1:34.63, Peddie School
\n1996, 1:35.78, Peddie School
\n1997, 1:36.18, Cheshire
\n1998, 1:35.19, Bolles School
\n1999, 1:35.12, Trinity Prep
\n2000, 1:34.54, Saint Charles
\n2001, 1:35.93, New Trier
\n2002, 1:35.28, Ursuline
\n2003, 1:32.77, Ann Arbor Pioneer
\n2004, 1:34.86, Lake Forest
\n2005, 1:35.08, Peddie School
\n2006, 1:34.92, Ann Arbor Pioneer
\n2007, 1:33.76, Peddie School
\n2008, 1:33.83, West Des Moines Valley
\n2009, 1:32.75, Carmel
\n2010, 1:33.90, Bolles School
\n2011, 1:32.63, Baylor School
\n2012, 1:31.18, Baylor School
\n2013, 1:32.35, JSerra Catholic
\n2014, 1:31.37, Carmel<\/p>\n