Swimmers from Abington, Souderton & Upper Dublin are featured in this week’s notebook.
National Conference
Mackenzie hoping for districts - Hunter Mackenzie takes the backstroke very seriously.
So much so that the Abington junior dropped his second individual event to concentrate solely on getting the best possible time in the 100-yard backstroke at the National Conference championships.
“Normally, I would have been in either the 200 individual medley or the 100 butterfly, but I really wanted to make districts in the backstroke so I gave up a second individual event, ”Mackenzie said.
He finished fourth in the event and posted a time of 57.14, well below the District One Class AAA consideration time of 58.47 but shy of the automatic cut of 56.54.
Should he get into the meet, it will be his first district competition.
“I’ve never even been there as a spectator, so I’m really excited and also really nervous,” he said.
He also swam on the 400 freestyle relay, which finished sixth at the championship meet. He was also on Abington’s 200 medley relay, which was disqualified.
A veteran swimmer of 10 years, he has been to big meets, notably the Junior Olympics.
“Hopefully if I get to districts that experience will help me,” he said.
He may or may not swim in college but would like to major in pre-med or engineering. He plans to row in college and is considering Syracuse, Cornell and Rensselaer Polytech Institute, the alma mater of his father, Ken, a former swimmer.
“He swam the fly,” Mackenzie said. “My brother, River, is a freshman on the team and my dad is excited that we swim.”
Continental Conference
Kurlak bound for districts - Ali Kurlak had one heck of a conference championship meet.
The sophomore at Souderton made District One Class AAA automatic qualifying times in the 50 and 100 freestyles.
She was seventh in the 50 freestyle with her time of 25.15, well below her seed time of 26.07 and the automatic cut of 25.47 and eighth in the 100 freestyle with a 55.22, faster than her seed of 56.64 and automatic cut of 55.45.
The performance was all the more exciting for Kurlak because she has struggled with injuries.
“I’ve had a recurring shoulder injury from overuse over the last two years,” she said. “I was also out for two weeks because I dislocated my elbow during a meet.
“That was very disruptive to training. I missed a couple of weeks in the water and just spent it on the bike, which isn’t ideal.”
Last year she competed in the 50 freestyle and the 200 freestyle relay at the district meet.
“That was awesome,” she said. “I loved it. That experience really helped me prepare for this year and I am so excited to go back this year and hopefully do better this year.”
She began swimming at age six.
“I loved the pool so it seemed like a good idea for me,” she said. “I played soccer for awhile but I wasn’t that good at it.”
She ran cross country at Souderton and is hoping to participate in spring track, but swimming is her main sport.
“I’d love to continue in college, but I don’t have a list of schools yet,” she said. “I’m thinking of majoring in exercise science but I’m not sure yet.”
American Conference
Conference meet sweet for Brouse - The conference championship meet couldn’t have been sweeter for 
Upper Dublin’s Lina Brouse.
Brouse, a senior, finished third in the 100-yard breaststroke. Her time of 1:09.2 qualified her automatically for the District One Class AAA meet, her first-ever individual qualification.
She also placed eighth in the 50 freestyle and was on the winning 200 medley and 200 freestyle relays.
“The whole season I was working on the breaststroke,” she said. “I wanted to place third and if I made the district cut that would be a bonus and I got both.
“It was amazing. I was so excited and everyone on the team was so excited for me.”
She competed at last year’s District One Class AAA meet on a relay.
“That was a good experience for me so now I’m looking forward to going back there in the breaststroke,” she said. “Right now I’m focusing on having a good taper. I want to get my breaststroke time as low as possible and hopefully get a relay to states.”
She has been to the PIAA meet before but as a spectator, not a competitor.
“It’s a great meet and a lot of fun so hopefully I’ll have the opportunity to compete in it,” she said.
She began swimming as a freshman at Upper Dublin, after swimming summers.
“I decided I needed to do something and my dad was a swimmer so he was really into it,” she said. “I’ve been thinking about it a lot lately, and what a great decision that was for me. I don’t know what I would be without swimming.”
She has not committed to a college yet but is hoping to go to West Virginia and major in something related to the medical field, such as physical or occupational therapy.
- Log in to post comments
