2010-11: ONE GLORIOUS SEASON!

It's hard to believe that another high school swimming and diving season has come to a close. It's seems like only yesterday that our girls were one week away from starting their YHS practice schedule in late October, only to learn that they were losing yet ANOTHER coach. I'll never forget the tears those girls shed, or the determination they showed in a hastily called athletes-only meeting over pizza in the YHS cafeteria that night.

They decided right then and there that no matter what had happened earlier that day, or what might happen over the next four months, they were going to be successful in 2010-11. The boys showed the same kind of grit when their season began two weeks later; those seniors were not about to let their final go-round be tainted by something they had no control over. They were gonna talk the talk AND walk the walk every day.

In short, these Tigers persevered, worked their tails off, and gave parents, fans and THEMSELVES a FANTASTIC season that will not be forgotten.

Just how good? Well, it's easy to lose track of what's being accomplished in the midst of a busy season. Let me try to put it in some perspective.

On a team level, the Lady Tigers brought the Hoosier Heritage Conference trophy back where it belongs for the first time in three years. The girls had two individual HHC champions in junior Larah Beaver (100 free and 100 back), and sophomore Jessica Extine (50 free and 100 fly). They also collected two relay championships, with sophomores Caroline Grasso and Kersea Gable joining Beaver and Extine on the 200 medley relay; junior Brooke Sigler and sophomore Ashley Sexton teamed up with Beaver and Extine to nab the 400 free relay title.

The boys couldn't match Greenfield Central's depth at the HHC meet; the Cougars had the better team that day, but Yorktown had the better swimmers. The YHS Old Men put on a spectacular show that day, winning the FIRST FOUR events, and EIGHT on the day. Seniors Adam Voss (200 free and 100 back), Michael Heavilon (200 IM and 100 fly), and Hunter Hoffman (50 free and 100 breast) were individual double winners. Fellow senior Wes Gustin joined those three on the 200 medley relay titleist, and freshman Scott Heavilon was the fourth member of the 400 free relay champions.

Tournament time was also a joy. The Yorktown girls won three individual events at the tough Hamilton Southeastern Sectional--Beaver earned the blue ribbons in the 100 free and 100 back, with Extine besting the field for the top prize in the 50 free. The 200 medley relay (Grasso, Gable, Beaver, Extine) and 200 free relay (Extine, Grasso, senior Labby LaVoie and Beaver) dashed to State Meet qualifying times.

A week later, the Lady Tigers took their talents to the Big Dance, the IHSAA State Meet at the IU Natatorium. Beaver swam to the best individual finish of her career, 4th in the 100 back. She would add a 10th place finish in the 100 free. Extine was part of an amazing consol final that included THREE ties--Jess nailed down 15th place, a hint of even greater things to come. The 200 free relay failed to make it back on Saturday, but the medley relay got back and posted a 15th place effort. YHS scored 27.5 points and finished 21st in Indiana!

The boys were not to about to be outdone in the post-season. Hoffman led the way in the equally tough Fishers Sectional, winning gold in both the 50 and 100 free's. Voss added a 100 fly championship of his own, and the Heavilon brothers swam with the others to bring home the blue ribbon in the 400 free relay.

Last weekend, the Mighty Men of Yorktown strutted their stuff on the sport's biggest prep stage at the Nat. Hoffman sprinted his way to a State Meet 3rd place award in the 50 free and an 11th in the 100 free. Voss was 7th in the 100 fly and 13th in the 100 back. Heavilon scored valuable points with a 14th in the 100 fly. And the quartet of Voss, Hoffman, Michael Heavilon and Gustin nailed down 12th place in the 200 medley relay. The guys in green and white tallied 51 points, finishing 13th in Indiana!

The post-season awards list for Yorktown will be substantial. Hoffman and Beaver earned automatic 1st team All-State honors, with Voss an honorable mention All-Stater. Hoffman's performance in the 50 free makes him an automatic NISCA All-American in that event; Beaver was just .06 off the 100 back cut on the girls side, and is likely to grab her third All-American honor. And the boys medley relay was also just over the automatic All-American cut, and likely to receive the award if they apply for it.

Keep in mind just how difficult it is to become an All-American. Last year, that status was reserved for the top 130 swimmers or teams in each event in THE USA. The standard is even tougher this season--you have to be in the TOP 100 in the country to call yourself a high school All-American. They are the top one-tenth of one percent of all the participants in their sport in America!

Finally, these kids put quite a dent in the record boards in their pool, other pools, and in the HHC. Beaver broke the YHS 100 back record for the third-straight season, and did the same in the HHC. She also took down the Delta High School pool record in that event. On the boys side, Voss broke the 100 back school record SEVERAL times during the season, and also took down that record at the HHC. And the falling YHS records at the Fishers Sectional looked like a snow flurry. Hoffman would set the standard in the 100 free, Voss did it in the back, and both the medley relay and 400 relay teams put their names on the YHS record board that day!

A special note on Adam Voss--he finished his YHS career having NEVER lost an individual dual meet event. It took one hell of an effort to keep that streak alive in the Muncie Central meet at Southside, when Voss used an AMAZING final turn to come from behind and win the 100 back in the final stroke by .04 of a second. The weather later in the season would make that his final dual meet in a Yorktown speedo, so he went out in STYLE!

I'd also be remiss if I didn't mention the coaching job Matt Routh, Mary Ehresman and Frank Mattingly did with these kids. To take the reigns under difficult circumstances, with so little advance warning, and lead them to greatness was INSPIRING. Routh got a well-deserved Coach of the Year award for his girls' performance at HHC (before he got dunked), and if this was indeed a one-time affair, you did it with flare, Matt!

Thanks to all of you for bothering to read these blogs during the season, and for viewing the video clips of our outstanding athletes. On to even GREATER things in what promises to be a historic 2011-12 season.

And as always,

GO TIGERS!

HOFFMAN, VOSS LEAD TIGERS TO 13TH AT STATE!

Yorktown's Hunter Hoffman receives his medal

for finishing 3rd in the 50 free at the 2011 State Meet

The Yorktown Tigers rode strong performances from their talented senior class to a 13th place finish in the team standings at Saturday's IHSAA State Meet at the IU Natatorium. It's the best finish by a YHS boys team since the 11th place showing by the 2007 Tigers.

Senior Hunter Hoffman earned the highest honors of the meet for Yorktown, blazing to 3rd place in the 50-yard freestyle in a lifetime best of 20.90. That's an AUTOMATIC All-American cut, and it ensures Hoffman a place on the All-State team in that event.

Hoffman would go on to finish 11th in the 100-yard freestyle (46.89), but he would probably be the first to say he could have gone faster. In fact, his Sectional championship time of 46.25 would have stood up for 4th at State on Saturday. Nevertheless, it was a terrific swim for a young man whose best days in the pool are still ahead of him, if he chooses to pursue the sport in college.

Fellow Class of '11 member Adam Voss also closed out his YHS career in style. Voss got on the State Meet medal stand for the first time, ending up 7th in the 100-yard butterfly with a 51.57 on Saturday afternoon. Adam also placed 13th in the 100-yard backstroke with a time of 52.60--that after lowering his own YHS record in the event to 52.15 in Friday evening's prelims!

Michael Heavilon finished out the individual scoring for Yorktown. The senior put up a 52.43 to earn 14th place in the 100-yard butterfly yesterday, slightly slower than his 51.87 from Friday night.

The Tigers were only able to get one relay through to Saturday. The 200-yard medley relay squad of Voss, Hoffman, Heavilon and senior Wes Gustin went 1:37.21 to earn 12th place in the consolation final on Saturday.

The "Mighty Men of Yorktown" or the "Old Men" have had a fantastic season for head coach Matt Routh. Their contributions to the Yorktown swimming legacy will be long remembered. Great job, fellas!

GO TIGERS!

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Top 20 team standings--1. Carmel 227, 2. Bloomington South 171, 3. Westfield 146, 4. Chesterton 141.5, 5. Northridge 138.5, 6. Hamilton Southeastern 117, 7. Munster 116.5, 8. Homestead 112, 9. Zionsville 93.5, 10. Indianapolis North Central 93, 11. Jeffersonville 86, 12. Brebeuf 82, 13. YORKTOWN 51, 14. tie Crown Point and Castle 50, 16. Michigan City 49, 17. Concord 41, 18. tie Center Grove and Floyd Central 37, 20. Fishers 30.

BOYS STATE MEET PREVIEW-WATCH OUT FOR YORKTOWN!

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!

FOUR CHAMPIONS, FOUR SCHOOL RECORDS BROKEN!

Hunter Hoffman (left) receives his blue ribbon

in the 400 free relay from

YHS coach Matt Routh

There are a lot of different ways to measure champions. But the 2010-11 edition of the Yorktown Tigers put all of them in play on Saturday, winning four events and demolishing four YHS boys school records along the way.

The Tigers made a statement in the first championship final of the day, falling short of titleist Hamilton Southeastern, but racing to a 2nd place finish, a State Meet qualification time, and a new Yorktown record in 1:36.27. The performance by seniors Adam Voss, Hunter Hoffman, Michael Heavilon and Wes "Goose" Gustin edged the old mark of 1:36.35 set by Brenden Butler, Zach Williams, Wells Arwood and Alex Clark in 2005. It would become a familiar theme throughout Saturday's finals.

Hoffman was the next Tiger to put the YHS record board in his crosshairs. He roared off the blocks for a 46.25 and a 1st place finish in the 100 free--a nearly two-second drop from his prelim time, and just good enough to knock Tiger legend Eric Mattingly off the board (the old record of 46.28 was set in 2004, when Hunter was still in elementary school!).

Voss stared down history in the 100 back. Adam used his outstanding underwater work to his maximum advantage against a State Meet-caliber field to claim 3rd in 52.86, more than a second under the State cut, and wiping out his own YHS record of 53.44 set earlier this year.

My personal favorite came in the day's final event, the 400 free relay. The quartet of Hoffman, Michael Heavilon, freshman Scott Heavilon and Voss led from start to finish, destroying the field to grab 1st by more than two seconds in a new YHS record time of 3:12.04. That erases the 3:12.23 put up by Alex Keller, David Tobin, Dan Farrell and Voss in the same meet in the same pool in 2009.

Hoffman added another individual 1st place award with an easy victory in the 50 free. His time of 21.08 has him seeded #3 at the State Meet. Throw in his #4 seeding in the 100 free next weekend, and it could be quite the exciting time at the Hoffman home.

Michael Heavilon is the other Tiger to make it to State in an individual event. He pushed hard all the way through the wall in the 100 fly to punch his ticket to the Nat in 52.69--that was good for "only" a 4th place finish in a field with crazy depth.

Several other Tigers had high quality efforts on Saturday. Scott Heavilon ended up 7th in the 500 free (4:59.03) and 8th in the 200 free (1:49.97)--he dropped almost 11 seconds from his prelim time in the 500! Gustin took 6th in the 50 free (22.85) and 8th in the 100 free (50.83); sophomore Thommy Brown and junior Alec Durant went 11th-12th in the 200 IM (2:14.90 and 2:15.79, respectively) behind Michael Heavilon's 5th (1:58.94); senior Tyler Donges was 6th in diving with a score of 338.20, which left him two spots below a bid to the regional; Brown went under 59 flat for the first time in the 100 fly, his 58.22 good enough for 10th; Durant added an 8th in the 100 breast (1:07.50); freshman Brock Rees brought home 12th in the 100 back in 1:07.86; the 200 free relay squad of Gustin, Brown, senior Joe Eskew and Scott Heavilon posted a 4th in a time of 1:35.34; and Eskew scored again with 11th in the 500 free (5:17.78).

The members of the State Team have five more days to amp it up again, finish working on the "little"things that add up to big chunks of time, and go tear it up at the IU Natatorium next Friday and Saturday.

GO TIGERS!

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Final team standings:

1. Hamilton Southeastern 349

2. Anderson 234

3. Fishers 213

4. YORKTOWN 210

5. Oak Hill 124

6. Pendleton Heights 123

7. Marion 36

TIGERS BREAK FOUR YHS RECORDS, SEND A BUNCH TO STATE!

The Yorktown Tigers put on quite a display of talent, guts, and determination this afternoon at the Fishers Sectional.

Four YHS school records were shattered, two by individuals, two by relays. Congratulations to Adam Voss in the 100 back, Hunter Hoffman in the 100 free, the 200 medley relay quartet of Voss, Hoffman, Michael Heavilon and Wes Gustin (or should I call him "Goose" now?), and the 400 free relay of Hoffman, Michael and Scott Heavilon, and Voss.

The Tigers won several events today, and will send a strong contingent to represent YHS at next weekend's State Meet.

VIDEO CLIPS WITHIN THE HOUR at http://facebook.com/yorktown.swimming and eventually on You Tube.

Gotta get to work!

GO TIGERS!

HOFFMAN STAKES CLAIM TO FASTEST MAN TITLE

Hunter Hoffman hasn't shaved yet, didn't wear a cap, and really wasn't pushed much last night in the Fishers Sectional 50 free preliminaries.

All he did was swim the fastest time of the season in all of Indiana--21.24 seconds.

Man, tomorrow's final is gonna be over FAST!

GO TIGERS!

OLD FRIENDS AND TEAMMATES PUT ON A SHOW

Anderson's Kyle Johnson and Yorktown's Hunter Hoffman

greet each other after a thrilling finish in

the 400-yard freestyle relay Thursday.

The tightest race of last night's Sectional preliminaries was the 400-yard freestyle relay. Yorktown built an early lead, gave it up on the 2nd leg, and the Tigers were more than a half-body length down to Anderson heading into the final exchange.

That's when former Anderson Highland teammates Kyle Johnson and Hunter Hoffman put on a show for the fans who stuck it out and stayed for the end of the meet.

Hoffman used a strong break out and a nice first turn to take a slight lead over Johnson with 50 yards to go. Hoffman held onto that lead heading to the final turn. Johnson delivered a fantastic turn, pulled even with Hoffman as they surfaced, then both gave it all they had in a dead out sprint to the finish line. Johnson had just enough to out-touch Hoffman and give Anderson the victory over Yorktown, 3:14.56 to 3:14.69.

Both young men have endured the difficult task of losing their former high school going into their season year. But they've handled it with class, and it sure hasn't hurt their speed, their competitive fire, or judging by the scene above, their FRIENDSHIP.

Great example to the younger kids, and just wait 'til these two guys anchor their teams again in Saturday's final event. Make sure you stay this time--it'll be well worth the extra few minutes to witness history.

GO TIGERS!