Athletes of the Meet - Centreville

Congratulations to Michael Hynes and Alexandra Dicks on being named athletes of the meet for our meet against Centreville.

Michael had another strong meet this week, making a region cut in the 50 freestyle and winning the 100 backstroke. He also posted a season-best split in the 200 medley and 400 freestyle relays. Michael continues to grow stronger as the season progresses, and is positioned to play a pivotal role in our success at districts, regions and states.

Alexandra also had a strong meet throughout, including solid splits in the 200 medley and 400 freestyle. She also made a state cut in the 100 backstroke, which is her second state cut of the season. Alexandra continues to work hard and compete in meets. She is looking to build on her strong freshman season with an even greater impact at the district, region and state levels.

There were a number of other athletes who had performances that were worthy of honorable mention, including:

1. Patrick Kuhlkin -- Patrick won his only individual event of the night, while also posting a region cut. His performance in the 100 butterfly gives him additional flexibility as we look to maximize our team score at the district, region and state levels. 
2. Ben Shroeder -- Ben continued his strong senior season with a personal best in the 50 freestyle. He also had one of his best 200 freestyle relay splits despite slipping on the start. Ben continues to improve each week due to his hard work and dedication.
3. Cole Dyson -- Cole won the 200 freestyle once again. What was more impressive, though, was his ability to lead the 200 freestyle relay to victory and then turn-around a few minutes later and narrow miss winning the very next event! 
4. Benham Cobb -- Benham may be slight in stature but is a large part of our overall success. He also represents the future of Madison swim and dive. Tonight he showed the future remains bright indeed by setting a persona best time in the 100 butterfly.
5. Jacob Roth -- Jacob was given the opportunity to compete in the 200 IM for the first time this season and he did not disappoint. His time of 2:06.61 was nearly 4 seconds faster than his previous personal best!
6. Tyler Johnson -- Tyler works hard every day at practice, working to incorporate the feedback given by the coaching staff. His hard work and attention to detail are paying off as he posted a time the was just off of his season-best.
7. Aaron Diehle -- Aaron set a personal-best a few weeks ago in the 100 backstroke, breaking the one-minute barrier each of the past three weeks. Tonight he added the 200 freestyle to his list of accomplishments. His time tonight was nearly 2 full seconds faster than he's ever done in the 200 freestyle.
8. Nick Ruszkowski -- Nick achieved a major milestone tonight by successfully completing a reverse one-and-a-half for the first time in competition. He learned the dive a couple of weeks ago and tonight, during senior night, it all came together. Nick is a tireless worker who has improved significantly in his two short years with the team. He is also an invaluable leader, respected by divers and swimmers alike.
9. Anna Keating -- Anna is such a successful athlete that it is easy to take her for granted. He consistently strong performances in the 200 IM and 100 breaststroke appear almost effortless. Her success masks truly remarkable performances. And tonight was no different. Anna posted an All-American consideration time in the 100 breaststroke again tonight. For perspective, that means her time would likely fall within the 100 fastest times in that event throughout the country!
10. Anna Sullivan -- While Anna is normally a distance swimmer, she showed that she's a complete athlete by improving in the 50 freestyle. Her time tonight was nearly a full second faster than any time she's posted previously in the event. 
11. Regan Hau -- Regan continued her successful freshman season with strong races in the 200 IM and 100 breaststroke. She looked strong throughout both events and is on the cusp of breakout performances in both events at districts.
12. Erica Rice -- Erica had two strong races tonight that showed her competitive spirit. She had a dominant breaststroke leg in the 200 IM that brought her back into a tight race for second place. Her breaststroke was also impressive as she surged to another second-place finish.