PHOENIX, Arizona, July 18. 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 end the series with a look at the 400-yard free relay. The 1991 Bolles boys and the 1987 Germantown girls had some special swims in their day.<\/p>\n
Bolles’ 1991 swim has always been surrounded by controversy. At the time, the quartet of Gustavo Borges (43.80), Matt Guyot (45.30), Enrico Linscheer (45.30) and Charlie Santostefano (45.40) became the first high school team to break the three-minute barrier with a 2:59.98 at the Eastern Interscholastic Championships in Philadelphia.<\/p>\n
That year, the time was honored as the top time on the NISCA All-American lists, but throughout the years, it has never been seen as the actual national high school record. Since the swim occurred outside of Bolles’ actual high school season, with Florida competing in the Fall, the time was not recognized as the record-holder.<\/p>\n
It would take more than 20 years before a team broke 3:00 with an actual recognized record time of 2:59.76 from New Trier. The following year, after all the hubbub about whether New Trier should be recognized as the first high school team to break the barrier or not, Bolles eliminated all doubt by putting the record into a new stratosphere.<\/p>\n
The foursome of Ryan Murphy (42.95), Santo Condorelli (43.11), Josh Booth (44.67) and Joseph Schooling (43.70) stunned the nation with a hard-to-believe time of 2:54.43. Murphy, who could have had more of an impact as an individual, swam a full load of relays to make sure that Bolles had the most epic set of national records in a single high school meet.<\/p>\n
Here’s footage of the historic 2:54.43 courtesy of Bolles head coach Sergio Lopez:
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