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Morrison Claims Another Bronze Medal

By ADAM ADKINS, The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 5, 2007

ORLANDO - When Brad Morrison stepped up to the podium during last year's Class 2A state swimming and diving championships, he admitted being a little surprised accepting a medal. This year, though, the Sunlake junior was hoping for a repeat performance.

And he got it.

Morrison found his way to the podium again Friday night during the Class 2A state meet at the Central Florida YMCA Aquatic Center, again accepting a bronze medal after a third-place finish in the 100 backstroke.

Morrison's time of 54.10 was a personal best. It was more than three seconds off the championship pace of Tallahassee Leon's Joseph Ziegler (50.47), but less than two seconds behind runner-up Jason Taylor of Newsome (52.63).

"It feels really good. I'm happy with my swim. It was a good swim. It was perfect. It was almost a whole second faster than last year, so that was good," said Morrison, who took third in the event last year in 54.94 as a swimmer for Land O' Lakes. "Last year I was very surprised that I finished in the top three. This year, after what I had last year, I was hoping for it again. I just swam as good as I could and it happened again."

But that's not to say Morrison didn't enjoy a nice surprise at this year's meet also. After a very good showing the morning's 200 free preliminaries, where he posted the seventh-best time in 1:45.07, Morrison earned a spot in the championship final in that event as well. He took eighth overall, finishing in 1:46.89. Ziegler won the event in 1:37.67.

"I definitely did good in my 200 free. I wasn't expecting to get into the top eight," Morrison said. "I swam really good in the preliminaries, and I swam OK in the final."

Now, after two consecutive third-place finishes, Morrison will prepare to make a trek up the podium for his final prep swimming season and bring home his first state title.

"That's my goal going into my senior year," Morrison said. "That's what I'm looking forward to."

AREA RESULTS

PASCO COUNTY SWIMMERS AT THE STATE MEET

•Class 1A girls 200 freestyle: 24. Caitlin Smaga (Bishop McLaughlin) 2:02.45.

•Class 1A boys 1-meter diving: 22. Matthew Cicanese (Pasco) 106.50.

•Class 2A boys 200 medley relay: 16. Land O' Lakes (Curt Hilgenberg, Stephen Scheid, Derrick Mysels, Sean Lawson) 1:48.41.

•Class 2A boys 200 freestyle: 8. Brad Morrison (Sunlake) 1:46.89.

•Class 2A boys 50 freestyle: 19. Michael Centanni (Gulf) 23.14.

•Class 2A boys 1-meter diving: 21. Jonathan Dedea (River Ridge) 124.95; 22. Kody Kuhl (Land O' Lakes) 119.05; 23. Matt Gingras (Hudson) 118.05.

•Class 2A girls 100 freestyle: 24. Lindsay Gorgen (Zephyrhills) 57.47.

•Class 2A girls 100 backstroke: 24. Lindsay Gorgen (Zephyrhills) 1:06.23

•Class 2A boys 100 backstroke: 3. Brad Morrison (Sunlake) 53.74.