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Conference meet is up next

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By KATHERIINE SMITH

ksmith@tampatrib.com

Published: October 14, 2009

TAMPA - Hillsborough County swimming coaches used to gather in a room to select the All-Western Conference team. This year, the team will be decided in the pool.

Plant hosts the Western Conference meet at the Bobby Hicks Pool on Saturday. The diving competition takes place at Copeland Pool today.

The Western Conference is divided into three divisions: American, Federal and National.

Schools competing in the American Division are Alonso, Blake, Gaither, Jefferson, Leto, Plant, Robinson, Sickles and Steinbrenner.

Bloomingdale, Brandon, Durant, East Bay, Lennard, Newsome, Plant City, Riverview and Spoto compete in the Federal; and Armwood, Chamberlain, Freedom, Hillsborough, King, Middleton, Strawberry Crest, Tampa Bay Tech and Wharton in the National.

There will be some great battles, including Plant and Sickles in the American Division and Hillsborough, Tampa Bay Tech and Wharton in the Federal Division. This meet will also be a preview of sorts for districts, with many of the swimmers competing in events they plan to race in the postseason.

State preview

Hillsborough County was well represented at last weekend's Florida Swimming Pool Association 32nd annual Swimming and Diving Invitational, a precursor to the FHSAA state championships, at Orlando's YMCA Aquatic Center.

In the girls competition, Plant's 400 free relay team of Rebecca Werdine, Elin Slaatmo, Haley Hahmann and Elle Munns finished third. Slaatmo also finished fifth in the 200 free and the 500 free, with an All-America consideration time of 5:00.66.

Wharton's Blair Kuethe also has a time up for All-America consideration with her third place in the 200 free (1:52.65), and she was fifth in the 50 free. Newsome's Kati Kyle is up for All-America consideration with her fourth place in the 100 back (57.74)

Other girls results: Plant - Hahmann, 15th in 200 IM and 12th in 100 free; Emily Clifford, 15th in 100 fly and ninth in 100 breaststroke; sixth in 200 medley relay (Werdine, Emma Donohue, Clifford, Hahmann); 10th in 200 free (Tara McGowan, Hannah Patterson, Austin Linebaugh, Munns).

Newsome - Kylie Piche, sixth in 50 free and seventh in 100 free; Amy Taylor 16th in 100 back; 10th in 200 medley relay (Kyle, Allie Mora, Brett Yonkee, Piche), fourth in 400 free relay (Megan Sinning, Taylor, Kyle, Piche).

Wharton - Danielle Albright, seventh in 200 free; Megan Smith, 10th in 500 free; 11th in 200 medley relay (Albright, Smith, Kuethe, Allyson Bell), fourth in 200 free relay (Albright, Bell, Smith, Kuethe) and Tampa Prep - Emma Siewert, 14th in 200 IM and 13th in 100 fly.

In the boys competition, Wharton's 200 free relay team of Mark Sox, Patrick Gilbreath, Chad Ankers and Jordan Rees was second.

Other boys results: Newsome - Hayden Parker, 12th in 50 free; Jacob Bukaweski fifth in 500 free; 11th in 200 medley relay (Tim Foester, Gavin Byrd, Bukaweski, Parker), 14th in 400 free relay (Bukaweski, Jon Simpson, Foester, Parker).

Wharton - Ankers, 15th in 200 free and 11th in 100 fly; Rees, sixth in 100 fly; Gilbreath, 13th in 100 fly and 10th in 100 breaststroke; fourth in 400 free relay (Rees, Sox, Ankers, Gilbreath).

Plant - Oscar Slaatmo, 10th in 500 free; 12th in 200 free relay (Slaatmo, Joel Douglas Rodgers, GiaKomo Rosso, Christopher Beatty), 11th in 400 free relay (Rodgers, Slaatmo, Rosso, Kieffer Jordan) and Tampa Prep - Rasmus Skjaerpe, 15th in 100 back;

In the girls 1-meter diving competition, Tampa Prep's Kaliya Burton-Akright was fifth, Newsome's Brittany Mathers was 13th and Berkeley Prep's Nikki Potts was 21st. In the boys competition, Berkeley Prep's Sam Bobo was 10th and Seffner Christian Academy's Giani Martinez was 13th.

Wharton was sixth in the overall combined team scores, while Plant was ninth, Newsome was 14th and Tampa Prep 32nd.

Reporter Katherine Smith can be reached at (813) 731-8025.

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