High school swimmers improving with state meets looming

With Maine interscholastic championships approximately five weeks away, swimmers in both Class A and B are displaying the time progression expected as coaches target speed and quality repeats in the training regimen.
At Foxcroft Academy, Cam Fadley leads all Class B swimmers with a time of 56.5 seconds in the 100 backstroke. And, in the 100 butterfly, only a fraction of a second separates the two fastest competitors, Orono’s Cameron Dwyer at 55.3 and Greely’s John Dunnett at 55.2.
In Class A, Bangor’s talented racer Emma Waddell has recorded the fastest times in three events. The sophomore’s versatility is evidenced by her pace-setting performances in the 100 butterfly (58.5), 100 freestyle (53.8), and the 200 individual medley (2:10). Waddell and her Ram teammates Mariah Reading, Meri Wicks and Julianna McDonald have the fastest  200 free relay in Class A at 1:42.7. And,  Bangor’s Elizabeth Huber has totaled the highest six-dive score in Class A  at 188.75.
David Smallwood, a sophomore butterflyer and freestyler for coach Phil Emery’s Bangor boys team, leads the Class A 100 freestylers with a 49.70, two-hundredths ahead of Cape Elizabeth sprinter Marcus Cloutier’s 49.72.

Thomas strong at Penn State
Maine natives continue to well on the college swimming scene.
Erin Thomas raced to a win in the 200 freestyle in 1:50.9 for Penn State as the Nittany Lions defeated the No. 20 Arkansas Razorbacks and the United State Naval Academy Saturday.
Thomas, a graduate of Bangor High,  paced the 200 free with a 26.1 first 50 and a closing 50 of 28.5. The senior finished third in the 100 free at 51.7 and then led off the winning 3:26.5 400 free relay with another 51.7.
Two former Maine age-group swimmers Nick Daly, a senior at Middlebury College, and Ryan Trafton, a senior at Colby College, are ranked first and second, respectively in the  New England Small Athletic Conference 50-yard butterfly. Daly, who swam for Cape Elizabeth, leads NESCAC  at 23.5 while Trafton, who swam for John Bapst, has clocked a 24.1.

UM’s Meehan wins 2 events
The Maine Black Bears travel to Brunswick Saturday to race Bowdoin College. Last Saturday, the Maine teams defeated Providence College at the Friars’ 25-meter pool. Among the wins for the Black Bears were two from Brewer’s Andrew Meehan. The senior won the 100-meter fly in 59.9 and the 200-meter free in 2:00.6. Coach Bruce Babin’s Husson Eagles host Western New England Saturday in Bangor.

Masters meet set at Husson
Husson University will host the Eagles Masters Swim Meet Sunday at noon with warmup scheduled for 11 a.m. Meet Director Thomas Branch will accept deck entries until 11:30. Questions regarding the meet should be sent to meetdirector@hurricaneswimclub.com.

Evans qualifies for US Trials
At 40 years old, Olympian Janet Evans has qualified for the  2012 US Olympic Trials in the 400 meter and the 800 meter. Evans, who retired after the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, won four gold medals in Olympic racing and held the world record in the 800-meter free from 1988-2008. The 2012 Olympic Trials are set for late June at the Qwest Center in Omaha, Neb., where  21 American records have been set. Coaching Evans in her bid for membership on the US Olympic Team is eight-time Olympic coach Mark Schubert.