Watch enough swim meets, and the ways in which swimmers attack a particular stroke all tend to blend together. There are variations on strokes, of course, but few swimmers stand out as doing something truly different.
Then along comes someone like Josh Hall of Wausau East to change your mind. Hall, a senior, is one of the state's best swimmers; he is easily the shortest, best swimmer in the state (he might stand 5'6"). Hall's speciality is the breaststroke, and to watch him swim it is a treat. Hall makes up for his diminutive stature by having what must be the most rapid turnover (swim term -- the time it takes to complete one full version of the stroke) of any breaststroker, male or female, in the state.
Last year, Hall entered the state D1 meet with the fastest seed time in the 100 breastroke, only to be edged by Waukesha South/Catholic Memorial's Collin Neitzel in the finals, 58.19 to 58.61. Neitzel, a junior, towers over Hall -- they are truly the Mutt and Jeff of Wisconsin breaststroking -- and attacks the breaststroke with a huge reach and tremendous pull, befitting his long arms and lanky frame.
But Hall may have revenge on his mind. Just before the start of the boys swim season, Hall swam a 55.50 100 breaststroke at the regional Grand Prix meet held at the very fast University of Minnesota Natatorium. To give some perspective to that time, the state record for the 100 breaststroke is 55.87 (Madison Memorial's Chris Wood). It's the most venerable record in D1, as Wood set it in 1995, making it by two years the oldest D1 record on the books.
It should be fun to watch Hall pursue the record, and Neitzel, this year.
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2 comments:
will colbert, a senior who doesnt swim high school and swims with schroeder ymca has already been a 54.59 in the 100 breast. do your research before throwing around the term best in the state. colbert is one of the top three 18 and under breaststrokers in the country. colbert went almost 2 seconds faster then hall this summer so it should be interesting to see how close he can get. colbert and hall seem to have left neitzel behind this summer with him being 2 seconds behind hall. it's too bad colbert isnt swimming high school it would be a fun race to watch.
Josh Hall is the best in the state, and Will Colbert has gotten by on luck and chance
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