Bucs want to close with a bang

Thu, Nov 19, 2009    to del.icio.us

Expectations vary from one individual to the next when it comes to this weekend's state swimming and diving meet.

For Buccaneer junior Gretchen Spoelman, living up to her standing as the No. 6 seed in the 100-yard breaststroke is important.

"I'm sixth in the breaststroke, and I was 15th last year," Spoelman said. "I'm coming in with a faster seed time, but I'm twice as nervous. The times are all so close. This is going to be a race all about mental preparation."

Grand Haven's Hannah Meade, on the other hand, is just happy to be making the trip to the state meet after capping off a two-year push by qualifying for the finals in the closing weeks of her senior season.

"This is the first time I've qualified for an individual event at state," said Meade, who will swim in the 100 backstroke, in addition to a pair of relays, at the Division 1 state finals, which begin with prelims Friday and wrap up with the finals on Saturday. The Division 1 meet takes place at the Holland Aquatics Center.

"I qualified at our senior night, so it was just a perfect scenario. I cried when it happened," Meade said. "Then I swam an even better time at our conference meet, better than my seed time."

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In all, seven Buccaneers will compete in this weekend's meet. Spoelman will compete in the 200 freestyle, where she's seeded 33rd, in addition to her specialty event of the breaststroke.

"She's got all the potential in the world to drop time and move up in that event," Grand Haven coach Casey Jensen said of Spoelman's prospects in the breaststroke. "In the 200, she's going to have to break 1:58 to get into the top 16 (her seed time is 2:01.20). I have no doubt she can do it. She's been dropping time all year."

Currin Hall will swim in the 50 freestyle, where she's seeded 16th, in addition to the 100 butterfly, where she's the 12th seed.

"She's a kid who has attacked every step this year, and quite honestly, I'd like to see her get into the 24's (in the 50 freestyle)," Jensen said. Her seed time is 25.32 seconds. "She's someone who has been to the state meet multiple times and knows how to compete at that level."

"I just want to come back and get into the finals," Hall added. "I have to really mentally prepare for my races, the starts and turns."

Meade is the 30th seed in the 100 backstroke.

Returning state qualifiers Meade (backstroke), Spoelman (breaststroke) and Hall (butterfly) will be joined by Emily Dean (freestyle) in the 200 medley relay, which is seeded 11th heading into Friday's prelims.

"I have no doubt we can move up in that," Jensen said. "The girls have done everything physically that we can do. Now it's a mental game. It certainly helps that they've been there before and know what to expect."

Spoelman, Dean, Lydia Hoogerhyde and Hall will swim the 200 freestyle relay, and need to move up a few spots from their seeded spot at No. 18 to advance to Saturday's finals.

"Lydia was an alternate for us last year, and she's looked really strong, especially the last few weeks," Jensen said.

Finally, the Bucs' 400 freestyle relay of Meade, Erin Page, Alyssia Land and Hoogerhyde is seeded 31st.

Hall said she and her teammates are excited and also quite nervous for this weekend's event.

"Everyone's nervous, but pumped up at the same time," she said. "We've been swimming since August, and it's exciting for the seniors to know these are our last two days of practice."

The fact that the finals are taking place in a familiar pool so close to home is also a factor.

"You have to have a different mindset," Spoelman said. "We've swam so many different dual meets in that pool. This takes a lot more mental preparation."

While they could easily stay at home and make the trip back and forth to Holland Friday and Saturday, the Bucs' state qualifiers are instead spending the night in Holland. It's a reward for the hard work they've put in over the past weeks, months and years.

"I told Casey that this is my senior year and we have to get a hotel," Hall said with a laugh.

"It's kind of a reward for them. This is a tight-knit group, and it's certainly a lot of fun for them to go experience this and be a part of it," Jensen said.

Both Friday's prelims and Saturday's finals begin at noon.