Nothing says Christmastime like the Viking Invitational.
The time-honored tradition brings thousands of swimmers, divers, parents, and fans to Cleveland State University's Robert Busbey Natatorium for two days of fun and competition.
And yes, Santa always pays a visit with presents.
This year's Viking Meet, the 45th annual, proved to be no less fun. Thanks to the hard work of the Saint Ignatius swimming & diving parents, all went home happy, particularly Wildcats fans, as the host team enjoyed a stellar Friday and Saturday.
No team scores are kept at the Viking Meet, but if they were, the Wildcats would likely be near the top. The Clevelanders defended their home pool well, winning the 200 free relay and the 200 IM, and finishing top three in several other events.
Will Claus and Noah Keim kicked things off on Friday. Claus excelled, as per usual, going dive-for-dive with Hudson's Jackson Salisbury, a near-lock to qualify for Canton in the spring. Claus barely finished behind Salisbury, scoring a 447.00 to Salisbury's 451.55. Claus and Salisbury will surely be duking it out at the State Meet, if both stay healthy. Meanwhile, Keim took 11th place with a score of 201.15.
From start to finish in the A session prelims on Saturday morning, the Wildcats did admirably. The Cats qualified plenty of men for the finals on Saturday evening, both as individuals and in relays.
The B session in the afternoon also went well for the Cats. We'll talk about that success later in the recap.
After Santa paid a visit to the natatorium, the fun began with the A finals. The Wildcats started in earnest with Tyler Hong, Zach Toothman, Brian Johnson, and John Soeder in the 200 medley relay. Soeder led the way with a remarkable time of 21.41, helping the Wildcats tally third in the event with a sparkling time of 1:35.16.
Joe Richmond then repped the Cats in the 200 free. The junior combing through the water for a mark of 1:46.75, good enough for sixth. In the consolation heat, Tommy McIntyre tallied second, or 11th overall, with a time of 1:50.44.
Tyler Hong returned to the pool for the 200 IM, and took care of business in characteristic fashion. Well, that's not doing the junior enough justice. Hong more than took care of business – he shattered the meet record. The phenom battled fiercely with Pete Krusinski of Brecksville-Broadview Heights for the top spot. His second split of 26.84 provided the edge needed to eke past Krusinski with a time of 1:49.44, just .5 seconds ahead of his foe. Hong's heroics earned him the gold and a spot on the heat sheet next year as the record holder in the event. Toothman (1:59.31, 9th) and Kian Carmichael (2:07.89, 20th) also raced for the Cats in the event.
The Wildcats did not want for representation in the 50 free. Six Ignatians hit the pool for the fastest race in swimming. Micah Murtha finished tops amongst his teammates, clocking in at :22.19 for fourth. William Van de Walle nipped at his heels with a time of :22.21, while Soeder wrapped things up in the finals at seventh with a mark of :22.31. Thomas Metz (:22.99, 16th), Daniel Argolious (:23.24, 19th), and Cormac Nolan (:23.37, 20th) did solid work in the consolations.
No Wildcats clinched a spot in the finals of the 100 butterfly, but three men earned tickets to the consolation race. Brian Johnson (:55.23, 12th), Cormac Nolan (:56.76, 19th), and Michael Bednar (:57.64, 20th) flowed to nice times.
Four men of Ohio City took to the water for the 100 free. Murtha again topped his Wildcat peers, clocking in at :49.46 for fifth. Carmichael lassoed a time of :50.07 and Soeder roped a mark of :50.99 for ninth and tenth, respectively.
Richmond and Bednar performed aptly in the event's marathon, the 500 free. Richmond harpooned a time of 4:47.26 for third, while Bednar clipped a time of 5:10.99 for 10th place.
A huge highlight came in the next event – the 200 free relay. Hong, Van de Walle, Murtha, and Soeder all shared the load, carrying the weight equally. The Wildcats were the only team with four swimmers hitting under 22 seconds (Hong :21.01, Van de Walle 21.78, Murtha 21.77, and Soder 21.32). That's one heck of a finish.
Next up was the 100 back. Freshman Erik Seicean was the only Wildcat involved in the race. The youngster tallied a time of :56.95 for 15th place, fifth in the consolation heat.
The Wildcats did not have the same problem in the 100 breaststroke. Zach Toothman claimed 5th (1:00.05) and Robert Gavigan cinched 6th (1:00.71) in the championship heat, with Vincent Elmore rounding out the pack in the consis with a time of 1:08.38.
The evening came to a glorious end with the 400 free relay. Murtha, Richmond, Hong, and Carmichael combined for a mark of 3:12.60. The time earned them the silver medal, wrapping up the day on a nice note for the Wildcats.
Now, as promised, let's turn our attention to the unheralded heroes in the B session. These young men toil just as hard as the Cats in the A session, so let's give them the attention and accolades they all deserve richly.
Two young men stuck out in the B session – Bailey Detering and CJ Navarrete Velez. Each Wildcat finished in the top 15 of two events.
Detering did his great work in the 50 free and the 100 free. The sophomore scored a time of :24.50, setting him in fifth place amongst all comers. Then in the 100 free, he dashed to a time of :54.67, securing seventh place in a crowded field.
Navarrete Velez shined in the 100 breaststroke, In the fun event, the sophomore framed a time of 1:11.07.
Besides Detering in the 50 free, 12 Wildcats competed in the event. Navarrete Velez (:25.11, 13th), Humbert Wirtz (:25.49, 21st), Gabriel Gabrovsek (:25.68, 30th), Daniel Anthony (:26.22, 43rd), Will Trenta (:26.78, 56th), Norman Dennert (:27.00, 61st), Damon Durrah (:27.26, 69th), Neo Lopez, (:27.96, 79th), Gustav Kotlarsic (:28.43, 88th), Luke Slabe (:29.25, 107th), Cameron Phillips (:29.82, 117th), and Charles Wilson (:30.26, 123rd).
After Detering in the 100 free, Wirtz (:58.68, 30th), Trenta (1:01.93, 58th), Kotlarsic (1:05.82, 78th), and Phillips (1:17.70) repped the Wildcats with style.
In the 200 free, Braeden Green was the designated Cat in the water. The young Ignatian flowed to 10th place with a time of 2:13.11.
Dennert and Green donned the blue and gold in the 100 backstroke. Dennert tagged 11th place (1:05.23) and Green carded 17th place (1:07.59).
Beyond Navarrette Velez in the 100 breaststroke, Lopez and Durrah fought neck-and-neck with others for top 20 honors. In the end, Lopez flagged a time of 1:13.01 for 15th, barely besting Durrah, who took 17th with a mark of 1:13.31.
Gabriel Gabrovsek scored the top spot of any Wildcat in the B session, crowning fourth in the 100 fly. The sophomore brushed a time of 1:04.15, quite well in the event. Anthony followed closely, flying to 12th at 1:06.63. Brice Cerar shoveled a time of 1:08.18 for 14th. Slabe rounded out the pack with a 22nd place time of 1:17.40.
All in all, it was a fruitful weekend for the Wildcats. A special thank you to Co-Meet Directors Kyoko Hong and Mike Slabe, Tim Van de Walle, and all of the Saint Ignatius swimming & diving team parents who helped the event run smoothly. We're so lucky to have you at Saint Ignatius.
The squad now will enjoy some quality time off for Christmas. The Cats return to the pool on December 27 for a dual meet with Hawken Upper School at Cleveland State's Busbey Natatorium.