By Chris Bennett
Sports Correspondent
Strong individual performances from David Jones and Luke Herman, among others, led the Burlington Combined boys swimming team to a fourth-place finish Feb. 8 at the Southern Lakes Conference boys’ swimming meet at Delavan-Darien High School.
Burlington Combined consists of swimmers from Burlington, Burlington Catholic Central, East Troy, Union Grove and Waterford high schools.
“I was happy with it,” BC Coach Denita Jones said of the team’s finish. “The boys swam well, and we had a good meet. It was a tight conference meet, so that always makes it fun.
“I think everyone’s just gotten better.”
The Demons scored 328 points. Lake Geneva won the meet and conference title with 461 points. Platteville/Lancaster finished second (380) and Elkhorn finished third (330).
Whitewater finished fifth (286), Delavan-Darien sixth (262) and Jefferson/Cambridge seventh (79).
BC led Elkhorn by 10 points prior to the meet’s final event – the 400-yard freestyle relay.
Elkhorn’s A relay finished third in three minutes, 37.86 seconds, and the Elks’ B relay placed eighth (4:01.99), which helped the Elks edge the Demons and clinch third.
The Demons’ A relay of Bryce Filer, Samuel Weingart, Luke Herman and David Jones finished fourth (3:37.97), and their B relay of Sam Skrundz, Thomas Lestan, Jacob Koehler and Luke Piccione finished 11th (4:20.93). Lake Geneva won the relay.
Denita Jones said the Demons’ A relay was barely touched-out at the wall by Elkhorn’s A relay.
David Jones finished third in the 50 freestyle (23.75 seconds) and 100 freestyle (52.65). His time in the 100 freestyle is a lifetime best, according to Denita Jones.
Jones and Herman swam on the Demons’ third-place 200 freestyle relay with Filer and Weingart (1:37.91).
Herman finished third in the 200 freestyle (1:58.94) and third in the 500 freestyle (5:34.99).
Connor Krattiger, Andew Brutlag, Andrew Krause and Koehler finished fourth (1:55.52) in the 200 medley relay.
“Our medley relay really turned it on,” Denita Jones said. “They really improved a lot.”
Krattiger finished seventh in the 200 individual medley.
“That was a huge improvement,” Denita Jones said. “I think he dropped like five seconds, and he wasn’t even tapered for the meet.”
Tapering in swimming is the practice of swimming less during a specified period of time prior to an important meet.
Up next for Burlington is the WIAA Division 1 Racine Case Sectional Meet Saturday at Carthage College in Kenosha.
Denita Jones said David Jones in the 50 and 100 freestyle events and Herman in the 200 and 500 freestyle events represent the Demons’ best chance to advance to state, though she did not rule out a strong showing from a BC relay.
The winner of each event at the sectional advances to state, along with the next 18 fastest times statewide. There are six Division 1 sectionals.
The WIAA Division 1 Boys’ State Swimming and Diving Meet is Feb. 22 at University of Wisconsin Natatorium in Mad
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