With a very short Florida High School season that already moves into championship season in just under three weeks, teams don’t have a lot of opportunities to go after National High School Records. This in the past has resulted in swimmers or teams being better than the high school record while in high school, but not at a high school meet.
The Bolles boys of 2012 are having no such problem. Swimming this weekend at the Florida Swimming Pool Association High School Invitational in Orlando, they broke both of the freestyle National High School Records unshaved and untapered, according to their coach Sergio Lopez.
The group of Ryan Murphy, Joseph Schooling, Santo Condorelli and Josh Booth made up the lineups for both relays, in that order, as the Sharks were clearly gunning for this record. With many of those same swimmers on the medley, they could challenge those records too, but this weekend it was all about the free relays. Still, that’s what makes the result so impressive. Their first two legs aren’t primarily sprint freestylers: Murphy is a 200 backstroker and Schooling is a 200 butterflier.
First, in the 200, the group touched in 1:20.88, which gave them an absurd eight-second victory. That included a 20.24 leadoff for Murphy, just two-tenths from his personal best. This time broke the old overall record set by David Nolan’s Hershey High School in 2011 at 1:21.01. It also broke Mercersburg’s 1992 record of 1:22.70 for independent high schools. The full splits:
Murphy 20.24 – Schooling – 20.58 – Condorelli 20.03 – Booth 20.03 – Total 1:20.88
Then in the 400, Murphy again got the team off to a great start with an opening 44.52, but this time it was Condorelli’s 43.80 on the third leg that really stood out as the big difference-maker en route to a 2:58.58. This swim easily took down the 2:59.76 set by New Trier last season; that time still stands as the public school record. Remember that New Trier’s was the first high school relay ever under three minutes, and Bolles has know blown this away.
Just last season, Bolles set the private school record in a 3:00.67. The full splits from this weekend’s relay are below:
Murphy 44.52 – Schooling 44.68 – Condorelli 43.80 – Booth 45.58 – Total: 2:58.58
It’s almost terrifying to think what these relays will do at the State meet when they are shaved and tapered.
Bolles is not doing anything new here. They held the HS record in the 400 FR for many years (set in the early 90’s). They’ve had Zubero, Burgess, Trina Jackson, Borges (too many Olympic medalists to count)…the list goes on and on, in addition to their current stars.
The fact remains that Bolles is and has been a hotbed for talented swimmer’s from all over the world. Sergio is a good coach but he has been handed many of the most talented 18 and unders in the world. All of the kids on those relays (including Murphy) were incredibly fast prior to coming to Bolles.
This is the same at the University level in most cases. It is the story of swimming anywhere which came first the coach or the swimmer?
SERGIO 4 PREZ
Congrats to them! We know Sergio Lopez is one the best coaches in the world. I imagine Ryan Murphy will be fully tapered for the short course world championships in December.
Seems like HS should have records like American and US Open. So many swimmers on Bolles are no U.S. citizens. Seems like there could be overall records and then HS American and HS Open records.
We can all look good when we have the world as our recruiting arena.
Not necessarily. Looking good still requires quality coaching and hard work, and Sergio is providing these boys with just that.
Hmmm…what about NCAA records? There are lots of non-US swimmers there also.
Give the kids the credit where credit is due! These kids work hard every day, they have great coaching and great facilities and happen to CHOOSE to attend a school that has a great boarding school and a great swimming program.
GO BOLLES!
No one ever said they didn’t work hard, weren’t talented, didn’t have great coaching, etc. These are obviously great HS swims. I simply was making a point because there were at least 2 non U.S. citizens on the relay. Please realize that great swimmers from around the world are not going to go to New Trier, Hershey, Carmel, etc.which arguably have just as good of programs. They are going to go to a boarding school that specializes in having foreign student swimmers. So it can be quite depressing to schools, especially public schools, that do not have this luxury and never can because of their set up.
I’m also guessing that this was their taper meet. Last year they… Read more »
No taper. I bet they put on a show on for everyone at Jr. Nats
At some level, the public schools not having that luxury is nobody’s fault but their own. The rules are as such that it’s nearly impossible for international swimmers to be set up and join the team at a public school.
There’s somewhat of a separation with separate public and private school records being held.
No taper, unless you call an early release from practice on Thursday evening due to thunder and lightening a taper. Friday was travel with warmup/ workout at the venue and then the meet began on Saturday with prelim/finals. These kids have been cranking out the yards since August. Taper will be for States the 2nd week of November and then Jrs in December.
Go Santo!!
Go swimming!!!!
Congratulations to the entire Bolles School Bulldogs swim team and coaches!!! The support felt from the bleachers and from behind the blocks is what makes this team so special. Keep up the wild cheering and embrace this experience! So proud of this Bolles HS Team!