When you head into a conference championship, you always expect to swim fast. You always expect the team to excel. And you always hope that this is the meet where everything comes together, where everyone performs at the highest level possible, and you hope that you will see something that hasn’t been done before. At the 2009 MIAA Championships, the Kalamazoo Hornets succeeded in all aspects and put themselves in front of the eyes of the nation.
Over the course of the 3 day meet, the men tirelessly gave their best effort, never giving up and always looking to improve. The first race on Thursday was the 200 Freestyle Relay. Hope College had one this relay since 1989 and no one expected Kalamazoo to win. But Brian Bazzell, Paul Ellis, Bobby Dekker, and Craig Fleming had other ideas. Bazzell had already set the MIAA record in the 50 earlier in the day and wasn’t about to lose his title. He led off with a 20.6 and had a perfect relay exchange with Paul. Paul then cranked out a 20.06 and finished with yet another perfect exchange to Bobby. Bobby flew into the wall at the 125 mark and everyone knew the race was over. After splitting a 20.30, Bobby watched as Craig blazed his way to a 19.83 and a new conference record in the relay, 1:20.71. No only did they smash the school and conference record, but the team also recorded the fastest time in the country so far this year! From that point forward, the battle was on. Craig Fleming and Pat Gailey paced themselves in their finals swims in the 500, while Steve Brower and Zach Janes added support in the consolation heat. The 200 IM saw Dan Kovacs move up a spot in the consolation heat and he paved the way for the finals heat. Bobby Dekker, runner up last year in the event, and winner the year before, had his sights set on the gold after his morning swim. Still riding high from the relay, Bobby lit up the pool with his 1:51.10 for a conference record and the 3rd fastest time in the country. Colin Dueweke added fuel to the fire with his finals time of 1:57.83. Then came the splash and dash. Kenny Stetson moved up a few spots and broke the 22 barrier with his 21.95 and Jim Entwistle added himself into the consolation heat as well. The finals saw Brian go head to head with 4 Hope sprinters. Baz came up .1 short of the title, yet still managed a second place finish. Colin Mervak added a 6th place finish on the 1 meter board and the anticipation grew as the 400 Medley Relay took center stage. Paul Ellis led off the relay with a 48.56 backstroke leg for a new NCAA Division III record. He turned the reigns over to Ryan Booms who motored his way to a 56 mid breaststroke split. Then Bobby, still juiced up from his earlier swims, banged out a 49 low to give way to “Mr. Clutch” himself, Craig Fleming. Fleming rode the wave of glory all the way to the wall with a 44 low split and a final relay time of 3:19.01 and a new conference record. So the 1st day came and went and the team had already set 5 new school and conference records.
And just when the meet, couldn’t get better, the team arrived back at the pool for Day 2. The 200 Medley Relay was next in line. The domination continued as Paul blazed a 22.81 leadoff for Chris Manning to hit the open water. Manning popped off a hot 25.78 breaststroke split and paved the way for a great 50 fly from Bobby. Then just like he should, Baz anchored the 200 Medley in 20.07 and yet another conference record of 1:30.51. The 400 IM saw Alex “The Finisher” Keselring rack up an exciting come from behind victory in the consolation heat, posting a personal best of 4:26.38. The onslaught began in the finals of the 400 IM where Kevin Lodewyk led 3 of his teammates (Nate Robinson, Ryan Booms, and Colin Dueweke) to 4 of the top 8 spots, slicing deep into Hope’s point lead. The 100 fly saw a 2-3-8 finish from Dekker, Ellis and Barret Mueller. Ellis and Dekker both earned NCAA cuts with their swims, and Barret pulled down a PR. The 200 free saw Pat Gailey represent with a best time of 1:44.52, earning him a spot on the 800 free relay. But during the 200 all eyes were fixed on the Dynamic Duo of Bazzell and Fleming. Neck and neck, the classmates destroyed the competition, and the only suspense was who would capture the crown and a new conference record. Fleming reigned victorious in the event with a new record of 1:39.33. Bazzell settled for 2nd yet again with a 1:40.41. Inspired by the 1-2 finish, Ryan Booms, Chris Manning, and Dan Kovacs decided to show up the Bash Brothers. But 1st it was the freshman posse of Kenny Stetson and Nate Robinson who had to rumble down to the 1-2 finish in the consolation heat of the 100 breast, both posting 1:00. With 2 heats of 1-2 finishes, Kzoo new what was coming next. That’s right 1-2-3 in the 100 breast. Booms and Manning grabbed the top 2 spots and NCAA ‘B’ cuts. Kovacs dropped time yet again and fortified the 3rd place spot. Then Paul Ellis, Steve Brower and Colin Dueweke lent a helping hand in the 100 backstroke with finals appearance. Ellis grabbed his 3rd gold of the meet with a 48.99 swim in the event. Colin Mervak gave up huge with a 7th place finish on the 3 meter board to keep the team within reaching distance of Hope College. The final event of the 2nd night was the 800 free relay. Brian got the team off to an early lead. Pat Gailey followed and held his own, posting a 1:45.0 split. Chris Manning came next and he dug deep for a 1:43.3 split giving “Mr. Clutch” his moment in the sun. Fleming took the race out hard, but finished with authority, chasing down the team from Hope College. When all was done, Fleming touched first (splitting 1:39.0), giving Kzoo its 4th relay gold and 4th relay conference record with a time of 6:49.35. Day 2 came and went and Kalamazoo had cut Hope’s lead to less than 40 points.
Kevin Lodewyk got the ball rolling on the 3rd day with his best mile ever, just breaking the 17:00 barrier with a 16:58. Zach Janes and Pat Gailey added onto K-Lo’s 9th place finish with 7th and 8th place finishes of their own. The 200 back was the 2nd of event on the last day. Ellis continued to dominate as he rocked a 1:49.01, demolishing his opponents on his way to another conference record. Steve Brower lent a helping had with a 6th place finish, while Nate Robinson finished 8th. Alex Keselring also took 13th place. The 100 free saw the duel in the pool once again as Fleming and Bazzell continued their Battle Royale. Emasculating the competition, the 2 sophomore sensations both broke the MIAA record. Fleming touched first with a 44.76 and Bazzell followed with a 44.89. Ryan Booms and Chris Manning duplicated their 1-2 finish from the night before, capturing the gold and silver in the 200 breast. Booms earned a ‘B’ cut with his 2:05.02. Dan Kovacs lent a hand with a 5th place finish; while K-Lo finished 6th and Kenny Stetson won the consolation heat. In the 200 fly, Bobby Dekker grabbed second place with a 1:50.91 and Barret Mueller’s 1:57.74 was good enough for 7th. Zach Janes racked up an 8th place finish in the event while Jim Entwistle finished 11th. The team and clawed and fought for every point, up to that point, but it looked as though Hope had done its job of securing the championship. But the 400 Freestyle Relay was still to be swum. The Hornets looked to go 5 for 5 on the relays, both for wins and conference records. The crowd was not disappointed. Bazzell, Ellis, and Dekker also split 45.1 and left the rest up to Fleming. Bringing the race home in a 43.78 split, Fleming paced the relay to a 2:59.26 finish and yet another conference record!
The meet was capped; 56 best times, 28 swims that stand in Kalamazoo’s All-time top 12, 11 school and conference records, 7 NCAA ‘B’ cuts, 13 NCAA ‘A’ cuts, 1 national record, and 1 swimmer of the meet (Paul Ellis). Now with the eyes of a nation waiting to see what Kalamazoo will do next at the NCAA meet the team will work hard in the pool for the next 3 weeks to get ready for the challenge. Booms, Manning, Fleming, Ellis, Bazzell, and Dekker will be sure to keep their expectations and yours high as they continue to bring pride and glory back to the Hornets’ nest.
