Central Ohio boys swimming and diving state champions return with strategies to repeat
Having waited two years to win a state championship, Jonathan Alder’s Eli Stoll gave himself less than 24 hours to celebrate.
Stoll won the 100-yard backstroke in decisive fashion at the Division II state meet Feb. 25 at Branin Natatorium in Canton, finishing 1.7 seconds ahead of runner-up Sam Campbell from Dayton Oakwood. Stoll’s time of 48.47 would have placed him fifth in Division I the next day.
By then, the three-time state qualifier had moved on.
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“It was awesome to win, but there are bigger things I want to do in the sport,” said Stoll, who also was state runner-up in the 200 individual medley and district champion in both of his individual events. “The next day, we didn’t do any rest. We just attacked it.
“The goal this year is just to win again. Of course there’s going to be a little pressure there, but that’s why I train every day and just do what I do.”
Stoll entered his senior season having signed with Ohio State and having dropped about half a second in his primary event. He is one of three individual champions from the area returning this season, along with seniors Grant Gooding from Upper Arlington and Hudson Williams of Olentangy Liberty.
While Stoll acknowledged some pressure to repeat, Gooding said he feels less to do so in the 100 breaststroke in Division I. Part of that comes from having finished second in the event the year before by .4 of a second.
“I felt like there was more pressure last year to win it. I’m just going in there and trying to win it again,” said Gooding, who also was sixth in the 50 freestyle last year at state and was on the third-place 200 free and 200 medley relays. “I definitely worked on my (touches and turns off the) walls more, because that was one of my weaker points − overall strength in general, too. I did do a little better this summer than the previous. I think that comes from better effort in practice.”
Williams won the Division I 50 free title in 20.09, .24 of a second ahead of Cleveland St. Ignatius’ Micah Murtha, and was third in the 100 back (47.91). The two swimmers behind whom he finished, Akron Firestone’s Jonny Marshall and runner-up Scotty Buff from Toledo St. Francis, also are back.
Upper Arlington coach Mike de Bear said he has given the same advice to each of the four individuals who have combined for six state championships in his 12 seasons with the Golden Bears.
“That title means nothing. You have to keep the same hunger, the same drive,” de Bear said. “When that alarm goes off at 5 a.m. and you’re in the water 30 minutes later, you’ve never won anything. Nothing’s been given to you. You have to go earn it again. You are on everyone’s bulletin board as the target, and you have to have a target for yourself and feel that energy and that drive.”
Like Stoll, Gooding and Williams have determined their swimming futures. Gooding, who said he has dropped the 50 free in favor of the 200 IM, is a Louisville recruit and Williams has signed with North Carolina State.
“There is always something you can fix in a race, even if it’s the best race of your life,” Stoll said.
“We looked at the videos again and saw what I needed to do differently and what I need to keep up. (I figured out) I need to go out a little quicker. Working on that front-end speed is the key.”
dpurpura@thisweeknews.com
@ThisWeekDave
This article originally appeared on ThisWeek: Central Ohio boys swimming high school season preview
