By By KEVIN TRAVIS
Sports Editor
Brandon Niederhauser and Emily Pfeiffer came home with some fond memories, and the sense of accomplishment, after a strong showing at the N.C. High School Athletic Association Class 3-A state swim meet.
The meet was held Friday at the Triangle Aquatic Center in Cary.
The Washington Pam Pack boys finished 14th overall with 47 points, thanks in large part to a second-place and a third-place finish from Niederhauser.
He took runner-up in the 50 yard freestyle, finishing in 22.23 seconds. Niederhauser also took third in the 100 yard freestyle in a 48.97 clocking.
“I’m really proud of him,” Washington coach Spencer Pake said. “He didn’t have the best morning swim, and he was a little down on himself, but he had some good, solid swims at the night meet.”
Pake believes coming so close to winning a state title will make Niederhauser, a junior, push himself harder.
“I think it will make him hungrier next year,” Paker said. “He fell just a little short of that championship. I think he’ll work even harder in the offseason and go even harder for it next year.”
Pfeiffer’s fifth and ninth-place showings helped the Lady Pack capture 11th place overall with 57 points. She placed fifth in the 100 yard breaststroke (1:08.55) and ninth in the 200 yard intermediate in 2:13.73.
“Her 200 was a really good swim for her,” Pake said. “She knocked off two seconds off her best time. She should be very proud.
“She’s just a freshman, so I’m very proud of her.”
Also for the boys, Charles Pfeiffer placed 19th in the 500 yard freestyle (5:24.98).
The Pack’s 200 yard freestyle relay team of Niederhauser, Pfeiffer, Luke Harris and Will Davis finished 10th (1:36.97).
“They were able to break the relay record,“ Pake said. “They went in seeded 15th. I had a long talk with them about it being their last swim of the season and I told them to leave it all in the water. They did that, attacked it and were able to break the record. It was an exciting moment for them.”
Also for the girls, Riziki Omonde finished 15th in the 100 freestyle (58.26).
The Lady Pack’s 200 yard freestyle relay squad of Pfeiffer, Omonde, Shannon Niederhauser and Kaitlyn Richards took ninth (1:48.67).
Washington’s 200 yard relay medley team of Pfeiffer, Omonde, Niederhauser and Richards took 10th in 2:02.36.
Pake said it was an enjoyable season overall.
“It was one of the most successful seasons that we’ve had,” Pake said. “We had our ups and downs, but we were able to pull it together and had a great showing at states. That was our goal.
“We are so young. We’ll miss a few seniors, but we get a lot of talent coming back. It should be very exciting next year.”
2010 STATE 3-A SWIMMING AND DIVING CHAMPIONSHIPS
Triangle Aquatic Center, Cary
Women – Final Team Scores
1, Charlotte Catholic, 432. 2, Chapel Hill, 246. 3, Tuscola, 238. 4, Marvin Ridge, 205. 5, Cardinal Gibbons, 167. 6, Robinson, J. M., 134. 7, Weddington, 132. 8, Orange, 120. 9, South Central, 104. 10, Hickory, 68. 11, Washington, 57. 12, Northern Guilford, 52.5. 13, Franklin, 47.5. 14, West Henderson, 31. 14, Foard, F. T., 31. 16, Concord, 30. 17, Cox Mill, 29.5. 18, St. Stephens, 23. 19, R-S Central, 15. 20, North Iredell, 13. 21, Southern Nash, 12. 21, Asheville, 12. 21, Williams, 12. 24, Aycock, C. B., 11.5. 25, Forestview, 10. 25, Hickory Ridge, 10. 25, South Brunswick, 10. 28, Ashbrook, 9. 29, Conley, D. H., 7. 30, East Rowan, 6. 30, White Oak, 6. 32, Hunter Huss, 4. 32, Northwest Cabarrus, 4. 34, Havelock, 2. 34, Ledford, 2. 34, Rocky Mount, 2. 37, Fike, 1. 37, Nash Central, 1.
Men – Team Rankings – Final Team Scores
1, Cardinal Gibbons, 249. 2, Charlotte Catholic, 199. 3, Chapel Hill, 191. 4, Robinson, J. M., 152. 5, Marvin Ridge, 147. 6, Hickory Ridge, 126. 7, Cox Mill, 116. 7, Hickory, 116. 9, Hibriten, 92. 10, Tuscola, 71. 11, Franklin, 62. 12, South Rowan, 56. 13, Weddington, 55. 14, Washington, 47. 15, West Henderson, 45. 16, St. Stephens, 44. 17, South Brunswick, 42. 18, West Carteret, 41. 19, Brown, A. L., 40. 19, Mount Pleasant, 40. 21, South Point, 39. 21, Hunt, 39. 23, Eastern Alamance, 37. 24, Asheville, 36. 24, Eastern Wayne, 36. 26, Northwest Cabarrus, 33. 27, North Forsyth, 23. 28, Forestview, 21. 28, Conley, D. H., 21. 30, Northern Guilford, 19. 31, Nash Central, 17. 32, Concord, 16. 32, Fike, 16. 34, Ashbrook, 11. 35, Western Harnett, 4. 35, Foard, F. T., 4. 37, West Iredell, 1.