Gysegem, Joseph take fifth at state
By JOHN VARGO Tribune Chronicle
POSTED: February 24, 2008
CANTON — The crowd took about every little space inside the C.T. Branin Natatorium on the campus of Canton McKinley High School.
The parents and friends were stuffed inside the sauna-like atmosphere at the second day of the state swim meet.
For Trumbull County freshmen Jordan Moxley, Emilee Gysegem and Katie Joseph, they dropped times once again — something that carried the trio to top 10 finishes in their respective events Friday.
Saturday, McDonald’s Joseph and Lakeview’s Gysegem each placed fifth, while Maplewood’s Moxley took 11th.
“When you swim at the final at night, the worst you can do is eighth,” said coach Frank Supancic, who coaches all three girls. “You always go for your best time. You’ve got the eight best kids in it. There’s no reason you can’t do your best time. With all this environment and excitement, how can you not swim fast? It’s been a remarkable weekend for us. I’m so proud of these three girls, ninth graders coming here doing this kind of performance is really satisfying.”
Joseph dropped from 54.06 seconds to 53.25 in the 100-yard freestyle.
“I wanted to get in the 52s, but I dropped time,” she said. “I’m glad I made it (to state meet) as a freshman.”
For Moxley, she was an at-large qualifier in the 100 breaststroke. She didn’t qualify for finals, but finished 11th — dropping her time from 1:11.24 to 1:10.96.
She finished ninth in the 50 freestyle Friday. The top eight in each event receive a medal and are honored on a podium. Swimmers, who swim ninth through 16th in the morning’s preliminaries, go in a consolation run prior to finals.
“The free, I was a little disappointed because I was one place from getting on the podium,” Moxley said. “I came in this swim season wondering if I would swim or not because my main event is track. After this, my winter is dedicated to this now.”
After Moxley dropped her time in the 100 breaststroke, Gysegem decided she’d better do the same.
“When I saw Jordan got 1:10 in the heat before me, which is what she wanted to swim, it made me feel that I could get my 1:07,” she said after cutting her prelim time from 1:08.13 to 1:07.86. I’ve never broken 1:08 before. I was so proud of her.”
It was Gysegem’s best meet ever.
“I turned out to be the biggest meet I’ve ever swam at,” she said.
This experience will carry over to next season, Supancic said.
“You build off of this and they can’t rest on these laurels,” he said. “They have to go to the next level because somebody in eighth grade is going to be moving up to ninth grade and will be gunning for them. We always keep working to make ourselves bigger, stronger, and faster, (summer meets), and more national meets. Then, maybe we won’t have to rest as much for sectionals and districts and we come to state and really make an impact.”
? NOTES: Boardman’s Conner O’Halloran finished 13th in the 100 freestyle (47.61). ... Canfield’s James Hunter took 15th in the 100 freestyle (47.43). ... Boardman’s 200 freestyle relay took ninth (1:28.24), while Canfield’s team finished fourth (1:26.25). ... Canfield’s Ryan King took 11th in the 100 backstroke (52.80), while Mooney’s Tom Boniface was 18th (54.06). ... Boardman’s Mike Barringer was 21st in the 100 breaststroke (1:01.28). ... Canfield’s 400 freestyle relay took fourth (3:09.20).
jvargo@tribune-chronicle.com
