Upper Perk Boys' Swim Team Competes at District 1 AA Championships

Written by Larry Roeder, Editor Wednesday, 10 March 2010 11:20

The Upper Perk boys' 2010 team finished in second place at the District 1 Championships held last Saturday. Seated, left to right: Mason Cassel, Collin Junk, Adam Kulp, Liam Smith, Blade Umstead. Standing, left to right: Asst. Coach Missy Peart, Matt Rose, Blaine Umstead, Quinn Perlstein, Phillip Wellheuser, Peter Marino, Ryan Himmelwright, Zak Kibler, Kyle Himmelwright, Jody Peart and Head Coach Michael Tannous. Missing from the photo is Justin Sloyer.

The Upper Perkiomen High School swim team traveled to LaSalle University’s Kirk Natorium last Friday for two days of District 1 AA competition. The came home with a second-place finish, 13 medals, three school records, four swimmers qualifying to compete at states, a host of personal bests for the student athletes and the satisfaction of a very successful showing for their alma mater.

Medal winners were: Justin Sloyer, fourth, and Quinn Perlstein, fifth, in diving; Kyle Himmelwright, Zak Kibler, Mason Cassel, Blade Umstead, sixth, boys’ 200-meter medley relay; Collin Junk, seventh and Kibler, eighth, in the 200-meter individual medley; Liam Smith, second, and Peter Marino, fourth, in the 50-meter free style; Ryan Himmelwright, fifth, and Cassel, sixth, in the 100-meter butterfly; Ryan Himmelwright, fourth, and Marino, seventh, in the 100-meter free style; Smith, fourth, 100-meter backstroke; and Marino, Adam Kulp, Smith and Ryan Himmelwright, first, 200-meter freestyle relay.

Smith set a new school record of 21.91 in the 50-meter freestyle, besting the 21-year-old mark set by Shane Guenes. Smith, with a time of 57.47, also shattered the school record in the 100-meter backstroke, breaking the mark set by Greg Reihman 22 years ago.

The 200-meter free-tyle relay team of Marino, Kulp, Smith and Ryan Himmelwright set a new school record of 1:28.63, just .63 off the district record set in 1998. That qualified them as the second seed in the state competition on March 19. Smith and Marino will also be competing in the 50 meter free style. The state competition will be held at Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Pa.

Four Upper Perkiomen student-athletes from the girl’s swim team also competed in the district competition. Lindsey Brust, Melanie Wolf, Katie Snyder and Felicia Sloyer competed in the 200-meter medley relay and the 200-meter freestyle relay. Sloyer also competed in the 100-meter backstroke and Wolf in the 100-meter breast-roke. They finished out of the medals, but posted personal best times.

The coaches for Upper Perk are Michael Tannous, Missy Peart, Kris Baccari and Sharon Shipe. The future bodes well for the swim team.

According to Tannous, who is in his fourth year as a coach, “We are graduating about seven seniors, but our current freshmen and sophmores are swimming faster than those seniors did when they were at that level.”

When asked to sum up the fine season, Tannous referenced the message on the back of the team t-shirts which reads, “We best thank him who has given us our abilities by using those abilities to the utmost.”

The top 10 finishers for the boys District 1 AA swimming competition were: Springfield Montgomery County, (435), Upper Perk (290), Strath Haven (277), Holy Ghost Prep (189), Upper Merion (187). Bishop Shanahan (159), Pottsgrove (129), Harriton (125), Lower Moreland (96), and Springfield Delaware County (82).