The Yorktown Tiger boys have had four Top 10 team finishes during the 2000's at the IHSAA State Meet. And the Mighty Men of Yorktown are in prime position to add another Top 10 finish (and perhaps claim their first individual swimming state championship since 2004) this weekend at the IU Natatorium.
Coach Matt Routh's team had an up-and-down dual meet season. But the "Old Men" (as I like to call them) have wisely saved their best for last--the championship season. Now, fresh off an impressive set of performances at the Fishers Sectional, the guys in green and white are fully tapered, brimming with confidence, and ready to take on Indiana's best on Friday and Saturday.
Yorktown will pin its individual scoring hopes on three dominant seniors--Michael Heavilon, Hunter Hoffman and Adam Voss. Hoffman has lit it up as one of the state's premier freestyle sprinters in his final HIGH SCHOOL season (PLEASE swim in college, kid--you have WAY too much talent to hang up your Speedo now!). Hoffman is the #3 seed (21.08) in the 50-yard freestyle and #4 (46.25) in the 100-yard freestyle. He is a legitimate threat to win either or both of those races, and also a major threat to the state 50 free record of 20.40 set by Yorktown's Eric Mattingly in 2004.
Voss is also seeded in position to score points in both of his individual events. Voss enters the meet as the #11 seed in the 100-yard butterfly (51.78), and the #15 seed in the 100-yard backstroke (52.86). Voss has enough talent, speed and EXPERIENCE in big meet pressure situations to sneak up on the field and get on the medal stand in either or both of those races, too. He knows what needs to be done, and he's capable of doing it.
Heavilon will swim only one individual event at State, the 100-yard butterfly. He's seeded #20 going in, but his seed time (52.69) is less than a second from being in the Top 10 entrants. Get him shaved down in a racing suit, and he just might make it back on Saturday and take home some points of his own.
But the RELAYS are where YHS has a great chance to show what a small school with a small pool can do. The quartet of Voss, Hoffman, Michael Heavilon and Wes Gustin tore it up a week ago in the Sectional final of the 200-yard medley relay at Fishers. They're the #7 seed starting Friday night with a 1:36.27. They're swimming with the sharks in the prelims, which will force them to dial it up two days from now. It will probably take a 1:34.00 to make it onto the top half of the medal stand on Saturday (automatic All-State territory). And these four young men have everything they need to make that happen.
Don't forget about the 400-yard freestyle relay squad of Hoffman, Michael AND freshman Scott Heavilon, and Voss. This group blazed through the Fishers field for a Sectional championship in school record time last weekend (3:12.04), and they have more in their tanks than they have shown. They're also seeded #7 starting Friday evening. I think these kids can go 3:10.00 if they can make it to Saturday--that's an average split of 47.5. But get these guys geeked in racing suits and shaved, and get outta the way!
The travel weather for Friday looks crappy, and the IHSAA's nazi-esque seating requirements are assinine. But these fellas have worked their tails off all season long for this very moment. Let's put as many crazy Yorktown fans in the Nat this weekend as possible, and watch these Mighty Men of Yorktown make some magic!
GO TIGERS!
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