Juniors Mary Brown and Austin Cottle will have no shortage of swimming goals for their final season at Sedona Red Rock High School.
In fact, the school’s only qualifier for the Division II state boys swimming championships fell less than a second short of making it to the finals Saturday, Nov. 7, at the Skyline Aquatic Center in Mesa.
“I didn’t swim it as well as I could,” said Cottle, who set a new personal record in the 500-yard freestyle Friday,
Nov. 6. “I went out a bit too fast in the beginning.
“It sucks, but there’s always next year.”
Cottle’s 5:18.19 in the event was 0.69 of a second away from 16th place, which would have vaulted him into the Division II finals Nov. 7.
“I’m going to work harder in everything next year,” he resolved, “and hopefully get in more events.”
Individual swims such as the 50-yard freestyle, which Cottle is targeting in his spring and summer development with the Sedona Swim Team.
“I definitely need a break after swimming year-round last year. Originally, my events were just the sprinting events,” which include the 50- and 100-yard freestyle, Cottle explained. “Near the end of the season, I realized I was good in the 500.”
Such a transition to longer-distance events is significant for a swimmer who spent the majority of his high school career as a sprinter — someone who swims shorter distances.
Qualifying with three other Scorpions on one of the relay teams remains “a very high priority,” Cottle added, after coming “very close” to making it to State this season.
“Austin switched from being a sprinter to a distance [swimm]er [and] did a great job,” said his head coach, A. Jay Bronson. “Really improved.”
Brown and sophomore Sarah Reed both made it to State as part of the 400-yard freestyle relay team but could not finish among the top 16 in the Nov. 6 preliminary heats.
“We’ve been swimming for a while now, but the other two are pretty much new,” said Brown, who, with freshmen Eva Holowacz and El Marquez, finished 19th despite improving nearly four seconds on a 4:14.63 qualifying time. “I think they’re just really good swimmers, so it was awesome to see they could work so hard and get to where they are now.”
For the full story and more photos, please see the Friday, Nov. 13, issue of the Sedona Red Rock News.
