Hopewell Valley SwimmingWith the dual meet portion of the season complete, it was time for the Hopewell Valley Central High School swim teams to strive for individual accolades at the state championships this past weekend.
By: Steve Feitl
While Hopewell garnered no state champions, it did see several swimmers make a mark in the record books.
On the boys’ side, sophomore Jan-Michael Blakely ascended past other Mercer County sprinters in the 50 and 100 freestyle events.
His times of 22.25 seconds and 48.81 were good for 11th and 10th respectively in the state competition, but they also were county-best times. Blakely also achieved personal-best times that doubled as new Bulldogs records (surpassing his own times).
It capped an impressive season for the young HoVal swimmer.
"As a sophomore, he had a pretty remarkable season," coach Katie Zalescik said. "We counted on him a lot to pull us through some of the real close meets. He’s been a real asset to the team."
And to the joy of the Hopewell coaching staff, he will be back for two more campaigns.
Despite his lofty achievements this early in his Bulldog career, Zalescik said motivation will not be a problem for Blakely.
"He sets high goals for himself," she said. "He wants to swim faster and break his own records. He’s got the talent to do it."
While Blakely was topping his own marks, Allie Foster was setting a personal record herself.
In the 100 breast, she came in 1:06.27, which was good for fourth state-wide. It also was her personal-best time.
"She was pleased," Zalescik said. "She was a little nervous on Saturday, but she seemed more relaxed on Sunday. She really went after her race. She was seeded seventh but came back fourth so she swam really well."
Aside from those performances, the girls’ 200 medley relay placed 22nd on Saturday and 18th on Sunday. The team comprised of Molly Purvis, Foster, Sarah Giallela and Anna Stevens.