Swimming
By: Matt Nalbone
The Hopewell Valley Central High School boys and girls swimming teams had similar results at the Mercer County Championships this past week.
The boys team finished in a tie for third with Nottingham, scoring 172 points to finish behind only first-place Princeton and West Winsdor-Plainsboro South. The girls team also came in third with 206 points, only four behind second-place Lawrence.
"We were very excited with third," Hopewell Valley co-coach Katie Zalescik said of the boys team’s performance. "Nottingham beat us earlier in the year, so we were pleased to tie them."
Senior Jan Michael Blakely was one of two multiple winners at the boys meet, taking first in the 200-meter individual medley (2:15.91) and the 100 breaststroke (1:11.05). Blakely, widely known as a sprinter, decided to go another route in his last county championship meet.
"Everyone knows him as a sprinter," Zalescik said. "He wanted to swim something different this year. He swam a beautiful IM, and his breaststroke was a surprise to Kim (Shubert, Hoval co-coach) and me. It was actually a school record. He got to show off his sprinting in the relays."
Hopewell Valley took first in the 200 freestyle relay (1:43.65), using a team of Blakely, Braden Orr, Scott Orr and Bryan Clark.
"They (the 200 freetyle relay) were fantastic," Zalescik said. "It’s a fast race where anyone can win. They just happened to swim their all-time best."
A few other boys had a good night, starting with Clark. Besides the relay, he came in third in the 100 butterfly and fourth in the 50 freestyle.
"He (Clark) has been working real hard on the fly, and he went all out," Zalescik said. "It was exciting for him to do so well with a fantastic time."
Seniors John DeLopper and Braden Orr also finished their county careers in strong fashion. Orr was top-six in the 100 freestyle and the 50 freestyle, while DeLopper finished fifth in the 100 butterfly.
The girls also had several great performances, leading to their third-place finish.
"It was agonizing to be so close to Lawrence," Zalescik said. "We have everything to be proud of. There were some truly exciting finishes."
The two most exciting finishes had mixed results for the Lady Bulldogs, as they won one and lost one. Missy Helmers took first place in the 200 freestyle with a time of 2:07.93, less than a second ahead of the second-place finisher. The 100 backstroke wasn’t as lucky for Hopewell Valley, as Kristina Helmers was beaten to the wall by .01 seconds.
"Missy (Helmers) had a fabulous night," Zalescik said. "It was her first year and first county meet, and she had a really great meet, where she swam her best times.
"Kristina (Helmers) swam her heart out. It was her best time. She has three more great years ahead of her. It came down to fingernails, and the other swimmer had long ones."
Perhaps the highlight of the meet for the girls was the performance of their relay teams, as the Lady Bulldogs took first in the 200 medley relay (2:05.73) and the 200 freestyle relay (1:54.56). The Helmers sisters, Annie Clark and Allie Foster comprised both teams.
"The medley is the first event of the day," Zalescik said. "It was a huge energy-boost for the team. We finished the races strong, and worked well as a team."
The meet meant the end of Foster’s county swimming career at Hopewell Valley.
"She (Foster) has had a lot of pressure all four years," Zalescik said. "She wanted to do well. She swam well, and we hope she wasn’t disappointed. She is now looking forward to swimming in college."
Both teams now move on to states, as they both qualified and will swim against West Windsor-Plainsboro North in the first round next week.
"It’s win and go on," Zalescik said, "or lose and go home."

