This week’s notebook features CR North’s Megan Meyer, Pennridge junior David Zurmuhland Norristown sophomore Nicole Martorella.
National Conference
Four years have gone by in a flash for Council Rock North senior captain Madison Meyer.
“It seems like yesterday that I was a freshman,” said Meyer, who will swim at Southern Methodist next year while majoring in business communication and marketing.
“It’s hard to believe that our CR South meet will be my last high school dual meet. It really flew by.”
Last year she was the Suburban One League National Conference champion in the 200 and 500-yard freestyles. At the District One Class AAA meet, she was third in the 500 freestyle and fourth in the 200 free, and at the PIAA championships, she placed 10th in the 500 and 14th in the 200 free.
The Indians won the SOL National Conference team title and went 6-0 in league dual meets, 8-1 overall last season. They are currently 4-1 overall, 2-0 in the National after Wednesday’s win over Abington.
“We want to try to win the league again,” Meyer said. “We still have almost all our league meets left including Pennsbury, which is always a good meet.
“But I think our team is gaining momentum.”
The Indians began the year with a 104-86 loss to Upper Dublin, the defending District One Class AAA champion.
“We put in our time lineup and everyone practiced really hard,” Meyer said. “I’m not going to say we didn’t want to win, but we walked away with some victories. We had 11 girls make district cuts including freshmen.
“We did absolutely everything we could in that meet and I’m so proud of our team.”
She is looking forward to the district meet.
“We won the district title my sophomore year and that was amazing,” she said. “I feel like that’s always a goal for us but if we just break time and swim well, that’s what we want to do there.
“I think our goals are strong but they’re doable, and I can’t wait to see what we can do. I’m very positive about our team.”
Continental Conference
So far, things are going pretty well for David Zurmuhl.
The Pennridge junior won the 200-yard backstroke and took second in the 200 butterfly at the annual Holiday Distance Meet at Central Bucks South on Tuesday, Dec. 27.
He also recently won the 100 freestyle and was second in the 50 freestyle at the Kinney Natatorium High School Invitational, held at Bucknell University, and is the current pool record holder at Pennridge in the 50 and 100 freestyles.
Last season, he made it to the PIAA Class AAA meet in the 50 freestyle, finishing 28th. He qualified for the meet by virture of his time of his seventh place time of 21.59 at the District One meet. He was also 12th at districts in the 100 backstroke.
“I’d like to make it to states in two events this year,” he said. “Last year I made it in the 50 and that was great, but this year I’d like to go for the 50 free and either the 100 free or the 100 back.
“It’s still early in the season so I have time to figure that out.
“Making it to states last year was a good experience for me because I got the feel of the meet,” he said. “It’s such a big event.”
The Pennridge swim team is small in numbers this year.
“I hope that our relays can do well at districts,” said Zurmuhl, who is a team captain. “We have individual swimmers on the team with potential, and I hope they can continue to improve.”
A member of the Pennridge water polo team, he was named to the 2011 Pennsylvania Boys Water Polo Eastern Conference third team, helping the Rams to a 9-11 season.
American Conference
January is Nicole Martorella’s favorite month.
That’s when swimming really becomes a grind for most high school swimmers, but the Norristown sophomore thrives on two-a-day practices and multiple meets in a week.
“I love it,” she said. “It’s a tough month because you’re working so hard but you put in all that work so you can see what you can do at the end of the season,” she said. “January is such an important month because that’s where how well you do at the end is determined.”
She has already broken the school record in the 100-meter breaststroke five times.
“That’s very exciting,” she said.
Martorella finished sixth in the 100 breaststroke at last year’s conference championship meet, where she was also 10th in the 200 individual medley.
She was a District One Class AAA qualifier in the 100 breaststroke last year.
“Going to districts was a great experience for me, even though I didn’t swim particularly well,” she said. “That was such a big meet, so it was good for me to just get there and see what it was about.
“I learned a lot last year and I’m hoping to get back there this year and do better.”
Last season she swam the 200 individual medley a lot but this year is focusing more on the 50 freestyle.
“I swam it over the summer and my times dropped a lot, so I thought it would be a good event for me,” she said. “I’d love to get to districts in the 50 and I’m only a couple of tenths away from that so I feel like I’m one good turn away from getting it.”
The breaststroke is still her first event.
“My goal is to look up at the board and see a 1:09,” she said. “That would be amazing.”
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