HARD WORK DOES PAY OFF

The toughest two weeks of the season have come to an end--HIT weeks--and that's a good time to take a look at just what swimmers can accomplish when they work their tails off.

A change to the 2011-12 Yorktown Community Schools calendar forced our athletes to do something this season that they don't normally do--compete in a dual meet during Christmas break, at the height of the physical demands placed on them.

Well, all the Yorktown Tigers did on Thursday night in New Castle is demonstrate how quickly athletes can improve when they are pushed beyond their old limits. The YHS boys and girls swam a whopping 27 season-best times against the Trojans! Many of the time drops were substantial--in the 500 Free, senior Kirsten Nickoli's 5:54.86 established a new season-best time for the team, and it was more than seven seconds FASTER than her previous season-best against Noblesville just a couple weeks ago!

Freshman Bailey Windell also got into the act in that event, lowering the boom with a 5:57.76, a lifetime best effort, and more than six seconds faster than her previous standard so far in 2011-12.

The guys were not to be outdone. Junior Thommy Brown posted a pair of personal season-best times at New Castle, lowering his standards in both the 100 Breast (1:14.08) and 100 Fly (1:00.28). Several other boys followed his lead, as you'll see below.

Here's a complete list of the Tigers who swam at least one individual season-best time on Thursday night.

Kirsten Nickoli--200 Free (2:16.29) and 500 Free (5:54.86)

Jessica Extine--100 Breast (1:14.38)

Katy Brown--50 Free (30.72) and 100 Back (1:27.17)

Laura Eaton--200 Free (2:35.60)

Lauren Elston--200 IM (2:21.17)

Katelyn Grasso--200 Free (2:14.32)

Bailey Windell--500 Free (5:57.76) and 100 Breast (1:27.92)

Alec Durant--200 IM (2:23.25)

Jordan Fox--100 Free (59.59)

Thommy Brown--100 Breast (1:14.08) and 100 Fly (1:00.28)

Bobby Cheng--100 Free (1:10.97)

Scott Heavilon--100 Fly (1:02.96)

James Kemp--500 Free (5:57.11) and 200 IM (2:34.16)

Daniel Morency--100 Free (1:10.87)

Brock Rees--50 Free (28.22) and 100 Back (1:08.96)

Kyle Rees--200 Free (2:11.27) and 100 Fly (1:15.02)

Isiah Huisman--200 Free (1:56.68)

Kyle Miller--500 Free (6:05.04)

Alex Nickoli--200 IM (2:26.40)

Blake Taylor--100 Back (1:26.37)

Congratulations to ALL of you for harvesting the fruits of your labor, but DON'T be satisfied. Even BETTER things lie ahead if you keep doing what coaches Laura Slight, Matt Routh, Frank Mattingly, Ashley Jones and Tyler Donges are teaching you to do.

Technique+toughness+tenacity=TITLES!

GO TIGERS!