By Chris Bennett
Correspondent
The Elkhorn Area High School boys swimming team finished with an excellent performance Jan. 9 at the Connor Bourke Relays at Fort Atkinson High School.
Elks coach Jamie Richardson said the Elks finished second or third. Due to technical issues complete results for the meet are not available.
According to the Jan. 11 edition of the Jefferson County Daily Union, Fort Atkinson won the relays for the third consecutive season.
Connor Bourke died of brain cancer in 2011 at age 12. According to his obituary Connor enjoyed swimming, and his relationship with the Fort Atkinson High School boys swim team earlier this decade led to Bourke twice meeting Olympian Michael Phelps.
“We swam really well,” Richardson said of the Elks’ performance at the Bourke Relays. “We had some really good times.”
Richardson said the Elks finished with 33 personal best times. Elkhorn won three events.
Brevin Kruse, Dakota Biefeld, Logan Radlein and Derek Gauger won the 200-yard freshman/sophomore medley relay in 2:00.65.
Conor LaFavor, Kalib Gorecki, Brett Schmieden and William Pyle won the 50 X 50 relay. In the 50 X 50 four swimmers rotate through in a set order and swim two 50-yard freestyles. The Elks won the relay in 3:45.92.
Gauger, Pyle and Kruse won the 300 backstroke relay at the Bourke Relays.
Richardson said the Elks swam better at Fort Atkinson than they did Jan. 5 in a Southern Lakes Conference three-team dual meet at Delavan-Darien High School.
“We were just a little rusty at Delavan,” Richardson said.
The Elks beat Delavan-Darien 96-73 and Platteville-Lancaster 104-65 at Delavan-Darien High School. The three teams competed against each other in dual meet format.
The Elks won nine events against Delavan-Darien and six against Platteville-Lancaster.
The Elks won five events in both dual meets. Radlein, Kruse, Jacob Truesdale and Pyle won the 400 freestyle relay (3:52.21).
Truesdale won the 500 freestyle (5:41.71) and 200 freestyle (2:07.77).
“Truesdale has really just been a workhorse, getting in the water first at practice every day,” Richardson said. “He set some goals to do well and try to be the best in the conference.”
Pyle won the 100 freestyle (56.66) and Radlein won the 200 individual medley (2:19.64).
In the dual against Platteville-Lancaster, Pyle won the 50 freestyle (25.06).
In the dual against Delavan-Darien, Kruse, Gorecki, Schmieden and LaFavor won the 200 medley relay (1:56.18). Radlein won the 100 butterfly (1:02.03) and swam with LaFavor, Schmieden and Pyle on the Elks’ first-place 200 freestyle relay (1:42.64).
Kruse won the 100 backstroke against the Comets (1:04.08).
Gauger dropped .74 seconds in the 50 backstroke in the dual meet against Delavan-Darien.
“It doesn’t seem like much, but in a 50 close to a second is quite a bit,” Richardson said.
Radlein dropped .56 seconds in the 100 butterfly. Truesdale dropped 2.35 seconds and Gorecki 5.17 seconds in their 500 freestyles.
