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SYRACUSE - Of all the changes in the high school swim season this year, one thing has stayed the same for Roger Karns - Tuesday nights.
That is when his Wawasee swim team takes on a Northern Lakes Conference opponent. And during the regular season, it is probably his favorite time to be a coach.
Now, it takes on extra meaning because with the girls and boys seasons running at the same time, all the energy, all the adrenaline doubles. But even though his patented "hup, hup" cry as the swimmers carve their way through the way is working overtime and he has extra swimmers to worry about, Karns wouldn't have it any other way, especially during a NLC meet.
"The NLC is magic," Karns said. "There is a lot of good teams, there is a lot of history and tradition to it. You really want your kids to swim well on Tuesday nights in conference meets. I like NLC meets, even dual meets."
NLC meets have been going on for about 16 years, but for Karns, they don't lose anything.
The 1996-97 version of the Wawasee swim teams got the NLC season off a good start on both sides, sweeping Concord in both meets. The Wawasee boys won 134-52, while the girls won a 118-68 decision.
With the girls working on an NLC three-peat and the boys shooting for another NLC title after winning in 1993 and '94, getting off to a good conference start is very important to both teams.
"It sets the tone for the season," Karns said. "What you like the best is getting aggressive."
Because of the change by the IHSAA, the two seasons are being ran at the same time, meaning for a longer meet. Tuesday's meet started around 4:45 and didn't end until 8:30, making for a very long night for Karns and the rest of the team. But Karns said that this being only the second meet ran like this, time was already being shaved off and it went about as smoothly and quickly as possible.
"As the season goes on, everything will be standard and you won't even think about it anymore," Karns said. "It is only the second one we have held like that."
Even though the seasons are running together, the girls started about two weeks before the boys and thus are working on a different time frame and different goals. The boys, being a little more fresh, are going out and giving it all they have, while the girls are just trying to make it on adrenaline as they swim through the tough and tiring times.
"You have to take somewhat of a different mental approach," Karns said. "The guys are and coming out and going after it and be aggressive and taking their seeding time taken care of. The girls you try to keep the focus."
Karns was certainly happy with the performances from both teams, especially the boys, who have turned out to be a pleasant surprise in the early going.
"We had a lot of personal best swims, especially from some younger kids," he said. "You like to see that. Our boys' medley relay had an outstanding time."
Wawasee won all the first places, expect two races for each the girls and only one for the boys.
For the boys, Marcelo Azenha (200, 500 free), Ryan Moore (50 free, 100 breaststroke), and Ryan Harper (200 IM, 100 backstroke) were all double winners in individual races. Also winning were: John Szynal (diving), Seth Bontrager (100 butterfly), and Adam Brown (100 freestyle).
Harper, Brown, Azenha, and Moore teamed up to win the 200 medley relay in a time of 1:41.25.
On the girls' side, Wawasee captured first places with Tiffany Miller (200 freestyle), Jenny Marty (200 IM), Carrie Grothaus (50 free), Lindsey Kaiser (diving), Theresa Lundin (100 butterfly), Laura Lundin (100 freestyle), and Kassie Biddle (500 free).
Wawasee won all three relay races for the girls.
The boys are now 2-0, while the girls are 4-1. Both teams swim at home against Huntington North Thursday at 4:45 p.m.
Girls: Wawasee 118, Concord 68
200 medley relay - 1. Wawasee 1:59.42 (Kristine Shivers, Jennifer Ganshorn, Jenny Marty, Laura Lundin), 2. Wawasee, 3. Concord
200 freestyle - 1. Tiffany Miller (W) 2:11.18, 2. Theresa Lundin (W) 2:12.87, 3. Rhonda Thomas (C) 2:14.75
200 IM - 1. Jenny Marty (W) 2:21.00, 2. Jenny Gordon (C) 2:28.41, 3. Sarah Bontrager (C)
50 free - 1. Carrie Grothaus (W) :27.16, 2. Emily Appenzeller (C), 3. Jenny Kiebel (C)
Diving - 1. Lindsey Kaiser (W) 171.30, 2. Jamie Conn (W), 3. Megan Blair (C)
100 butterfly - 1. T.Lundin (W) 1:11.21, 2. Vanessa Amburgy (W), 3. Jenny Butt (W)
100 freestyle - 1. L.Lundin (W) :57.21, 2. Appenzeller (C), 3. Kiebel (C)
500 freestyle - 1. Kassie Biddle (W) 5:52.85, 2. Rhonda Thomas (C), 3. Gennie Brissette (W)
200 freestyle relay - 1. Wawasee 1:45.67 (L.Lundin, Grothaus, Stacy Naugler, Jenny Marty), 2. Concord, 3. Wawasee
100 backstroke - 1. Jenny Gordon (C) 1:03.18, 2. Shivers (W), 3. Tami Miller (W)
100 breaststroke - 1. Bontrager (C) 1:15.49, 2. Ganshorn (W), 3. Karen Shipley (W)
400 freestyle relay - 1. Wawasee 4:03.96 (Naugler, Grothaus, Biddle, T.Lundin), 2. Concord, 3. Wawasee
Boys: Wawasee 134, Concord 52
200 medley relay - 1. Wawasee 1:41.25 (Ryan Harper, Adam Brown, Marcelo Azenha, Ryan Moore), 2. Wawasee, 3. Concord
200 freestyle - 1. Azenha (W) 1:48.06, 2. Dan Cone (W), 3. Ryan Seltenright (C)
200 IM - 1. Harper (W) 2:05.73, 2. Seth Bontrager (C), 3. Andrew Thornburg (W)
50 freestyle - 1. Moore (W) :22.76, 2. Derek Karpinski (C), 3. Brown (W)
Diving - 1. John Szynal (W) 127.20, 2. Chad Thorson (W), 3. Dustin Lyttle (W)
100 butterfly - 1. Bontrager (C) 1:01.49, 2. Thornburg (W), 3. Metcalf (W)
100 freestyle - 1. Brown (W) :52.25, 2. David Close (W), 3. Seltenright (C)
500 freestyle - 1. Azenha (W) 4:55.11, 2. Cone (W), 3. Brad Hursh (W)
200 freestyle relay - 1. Concord 1:37.18 (Karpinski, Seltenright, Moore, Bontrager), 2. Wawasee, 3. Wawasee
100 backstroke - 1. Harper (W) :54.22, 2. Metcalf (W), 3. Conn (W)
100 breastroke - 1. Moore (W) 1:05.65, 2. Karpinski (C), 3. Rusty Van Lue (W)
400 freestyle relay - 1. Wawasee 3:30.15 (Harper, Moore, Azenha, Close), 2. Wawasee, 3. Wawasee
