The Dexter Leader
A Heritage Newspaper
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Dexter surges past Tecumseh in pool
PUBLISHED: February 14, 2008
Dexter's boys' swimming and diving team traveled to Tecumseh last Friday and came from behind to defeat the Indians, 102-84. With the win, the Dreadnaughts completed their dual meet campaign with an overall record of 6-5 and 3-0 in the Southeastern Conference White Division.
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To secure the victory, it took a combination of key wins and crucial scoring in second- through fifth-place. Dexter captured first in six of nine individual events to earn 36 points, but added 42 more points from the lower places. Another critical factor was the Dreads' ability to take first and third in two of the three relays, providing 20 of their 24 relay points. In short, a true team effort.
"I am really proud of this team," said Dexter coach Michael McHugh. "They have worked extremely hard all year and it is starting to pay off in the water. Now is the time that all their sacrifices become worth it."
The final score does not fully reflect the drama that unfolded over the course of the contest, which in recent years has become an intense SEC rivalry for Dexter. Tecumseh exploded out of the gates, taking first and third in the 200 medley relay. After four events, going into diving, the Indians held a 32-30 lead. After six events, the Indians had increased their margin to 50-44. But then, in the 100 freestyle, the Dreads tied it up 55-55, and took the lead for good in the 500 freestyle.
Joey Sayre led the Dreadnaughts with two individual victories in the 50 and 100 freestyle, finishing strong to out-touch Tecumseh in both events. Adding critical first place finishes were Robert Spiegel (200 freestyle), Scott Crompton (diving), Ben Steavenson (500 freestyle), and Stephen Sobczak (100 backstroke).
In the 200 medley relay, the foursome of Taylor Verna, Danny Rion, Walker McHugh and Sobczak grabbed second place.
Spiegel's winning time of 1:50.80 in the 200 freestyle was within 0.71 second of the state cut. Scott Dyer added points for Dexter in fourth place.
Steavenson captured second in the 200 individual medley, with Matt Cambridge and Jacob Wiltse picking up fourth and fifth, respectively.
Sayre sprinted to first in the 50 freestyle in 22.96, earning the state cut he had just narrowly missed in previous meets. McHugh placed third and Sobczak fourth.
Crompton tallied a score of 189.7 points to win the one-meter diving competition. Sean Kilian picked up fourth place.
Spiegel, Rion, and Liam Donevan earned third, fourth, and fifth place in the 100 butterfly.
With Sayre's first-place finish in the 100 freestyle, along with Verna in third and Dyer in fourth, Dexter evened the score.
In the 500 freestyle, Steavenson cruised to victory, with Tim Pituch holding steady for fourth place and Karl Kumbier coming on strong to take fifth. This put the Dreads in front for the first time, 64-62, with four events remaining.
Sayre, McHugh, Spiegel and Dyer sprinted to first in the 200 freestyle relay with a state qualifying time of 1:33.57. Cambridge, Verna, Steavenson and Kumbier teamed up for third place to add more points for Dexter.
Sobczak notched a big win in the 100 backstroke, surging ahead in the last 10 yards to clock a state cut time of 57.10. Rion and Kevin Butler placed fourth and fifth, respectively, for the Dreads.
The Dreadnaught breaststrokers then went 2-3-4 to open up a 12-point lead. Wiltse led the charge in second, followed by Austin Daugherty in third and Cambridge in fourth.
In the 400 freestyle relay, the quartet of Sayre, Verna, Dyer and Spiegel combined for the victory in a state-qualifying time of 3:29.08. Steavenson, Pituch, Kumbier and McHugh joined forces to earn third place.
"This was a huge win for us," McHugh said. "It puts us in a position to win our 10th SEC White title in a row. Our job is not over yet though. We still must swim well at SEC's in two weeks to win.
"Now that we are at the end of our season we will start tapering and getting ready for SEC's. That is where our focus needs to be right now."
Dexter next participates in the Michigan Interscholastic Swim Coaches Association Invitational at Eastern Michigan University Saturday at noon.
The SEC meet will be held at Ann Arbor Pioneer on Feb. 22 and 23. Preliminaries are on Feb. 22, while finals begin Feb. 23, with competition beginning at noon both days.
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