Kuehne just misses history at Meet of Champs

HHS swimmer finishes second in 100 breaststroke

By: John E. Powers
   
   Hillsborough High School senior swimming star Pat Kuehne and Raider head coach Todd Sudol had a brief conversation Sunday at the Gloucester County Institute of Technology in Sewell.
   Sudol and Kuehne talked about passing up the 200 IM final at the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association Meet of Champions and focusing on the 100 breaststroke.
   "We’ve never had a individual state champ," said Sudol, who pointed out that former Raider star Jason Kay had placed second in two events in 2001. "We wanted to give Pat every opportunity to become a state champion. To focus on two relays, the IM and then the breast was tough. We realize we only get a small window of opportunity. We decided it was best to focus on one."
   And a memorable one it turned out to be.
   Kuehne, heading for the University of Massachusetts in the fall, finished second in the 100 breaststroke final with a second-best personal time of 58.94, getting touched out by Brendan McHugh of St. Augustine Prep. McHugh won in 58.31. Kuehne was .025 off his best-ever in the event set at the Holiday Classic Open at Rutgers in December.
   Kuehne, who lowered his own school record time, was in lane five; McHugh in four.
   "I was just focused on what I needed to do in that race," said Kuehne, who went 59.63 in the preliminaries to earn the No. 2 seed in the final. "I can’t be disappointed with a second place and being so close off a lifetime best. I don’t think there was anything else I could have done."
   Sudol simply called the race "awesome."
   Of course, Kuehne and teammate Tim Rauch weren’t about to let individual achievement ruin any team goals in their last meet as high school swimmers.
   "It’s typical for those guys," Sudol said. "These guys love to swim relays together and leave it all in the pool. Pat agreed to focus (on the breaststroke), but he didn’t want to come out of the relays. These guys are team oriented."
   Rauch was 11h in the 200 freestyle final in 1:47.24. He had gone 4:56.76 in the 500-yard freestyle, but since the 500 was too close to the 400 freestyle relay final, Sudol and Rauch agreed to go after the relay.
   "We wanted to keep Tim fresh," Sudol said.
   The 200 free relay finished seventh as Kuehne, sophomore Rob Parker, senior Rob Webb and Rauch went a area-best 1:30.11 after having gone 1:30.02 in the preliminary. Kuehne went a blazing 21.88, the area’s fastest split of the season. Rauch also had his fastest split.
   The same foursome also took seventh in the 400 freestyle with Parker, Webb, Kuehne and Rauch combining for a 3:17.95.
   "I know my two free relays have the fastest time of all Somerset County and one of our goals is to out-perform the local competition as well," Sudol said. "We lowered school records. We were going for some special things. Our seniors went out in their last high school swim with school records and that’s something you always want to see, to see the kids end like they did."
   Sudol kept a Hillsborough tradition alive by using youngsters in the 200 medley relay. Sophomores Tanner Horst, David Wilson and Brian Giacopelli were joined by Webb. The team finished in the top 20 with a 1:44.03. Horst led off with the backstroke, Webb did the breast, Wilson the butterfly and Giacopelli the freestyle.
   "It was important for our young guys to experience the meet," Sudol said. "It proved to the sophomores that they could be in the top 20 in the state. It’ll never be a question. Pat came (to the Meet of Champions) all four years and I think all of that experience helped and this year’s experience will help the younger guys."
   HHS junior Kelsey Hurley was 16th in the 200 IM with a 2:17. She went 2:15.49 in the prelims. She was 14th in the 100 butterfly with a 1:01.05.
   "It was a little off her best," Sudol said.
   Junior Jessica Parker, sophomore Steph Silleck, junior Carolyn Mehrtens and Hurley went 1:44.31 to take 21st in the 200 freestyle relay. Freshman Ashley Smolinka, Silleck, junior Jessica Parker and Mehrtens were 23rd in the 400-yard freestyle in 3:50.13. Parker (freestyle), Hurley (backstroke), Smolinka (breast) and Silleck (fly) were 21st in 1:57.77.
   "The 200 was the fastest time of the year," Sudol said. "It was great, even the relay swimmers – Jessica, Steph and Caroline all did their fastest times."