In a dual meet between the Saint Francis boys and the Menlo boys in California on Wednesday, three National High School Records were broken. The meet was held in short course meters, and while these short course meters records are not as easily recognized as their yards counterparts, the names of the prior record holders will impress anyways.
Two of the records went to Curtis Ogren, who is a member of the USA Swimming Junior National Team. He first swam a 2:00.48 in the 200, which clears the Independent High School Record held by current Georgia Bulldog Nic Fink. Fink swam a 2:05.27 while he was at the Pingry School in New Jersey. The overall record was held by former Auburn All-American Kyle Owens in 2:02.56 – he still has the public school mark.
Ogren would later take down a second Fink record – this one coming in the 100 breaststroke with a 1:00.90, which clears the 1:02.63 done by Fink also in 2011. Fink was tied with current Cal star Chuck Katis for the overall record, and Katis still will hold the public high school mark.
The other National Record went to Benjamin Ho in the 100 meter backstroke, where he put in a 56.10. That broke the Independent High School Record set by Reese Shirey of the Baylor School in 2008, though it’s still far off of Owens’ 53.94 for the public Science Hill High School.
While most short course meters national records are set in-season (though not all), it’s still impressive how far under Ogren went in his races at the meet ahead of Fink, who was on the U.S. World Championship team this summer.
There is a matter of pool certification in play here. The meet was swum at Menlo High School, which is a fixed-wall 25 meter pool. While the pool was not measured, as the record application requires it to be, and while it is not on NISCA’s list of certified pools, the current Independent High School National Record in the 500 free, done by Stevie Rehrmann also of St. Francis in 2000 at 5:07.83, was recognized.
Being that it is a fixed-wall pool, if NISCA (the official record keepers of the national high school records) requires it, the pool can be officially surveyed at a later time.
Full event winners from the meet are listed below:
Menlo vs Saint Francis Boys