Fast Start Doesn't Last For Hazelwood Sharks Against Ferguson

A little more than an hour into Thursday night’s North County Municipal Swim League meet at “” in Hazelwood, the Hazelwood Sharks summer swim team was enjoying a great bit of success against the Ferguson Sea Lions.

The Sharks had won 17 of the first 30 events on Thursday, and with a nice early lead, were looking like they might pull off an upset over the league-leading Sea Lions.

But over the final 90 minutes, Ferguson showed why its currently considered the favorite to win the league championship this year, by taking first in 34 of the final 40 races, on its way to a 582-436 meet win over Hazelwood.

“They killed us in the individuals,” Sharks head coach Todd Ankenbrand said. “They’ve got a lot of talent, and a lot of good swimmers, especially at the lower age groups."

Ankenbrand added that he felt when it come to a conference meet, he prefers to change up his lineups, and get different kids swimming in different events.

Ferguson was dominant in the younger age ranges. In fact, the Sea Lions, who won 35 of the 42 races between competitors 12 and under, could’ve won the meet on those wins alone.

On the night, Ferguson won all of the 7-8 and 9-10-year-old boys races. The team also won all but one each of the 7-8 girls, 9-10 girls, and 11-12 boys events, as well. 

Hazelwood did win two events at the 11-12-year-old girls level, with Maria Huhman taking home the individual medley, and teaming with Jordan Ihler, Alexis Ailmeyer and Kellie Haalboom to win the freestyle relay.

Hazelwood also won the 6 and under races, with Gavin Baldes winning the boys 25-meter freestyle, and Lyla Campbell winning the girls event.

Baldes in particular, has been on quite a winning streak. The first-grader is the only swimmer on the Hazelwood team that’s won every race he has competed in this summer.

“He and his brother Garret have really just improved quite a bit,” Ankenbrand said. “The last couple of years, they’ve really turned into some really good swimmers.”

The 13-14-year old girls were also a dominant group for the Sharks, winning all but one of their seven events, which included victories in five straight events for a group that will all either be freshmen or sophomores at next year.

The team of Emma Luem, Annie Kuhn, Juliana Geiser and Jessica Nichols kicked off the evening by winning the freestyle relay.

Then Nichols, Annie Fitzgerald and Hollie Woods swept the individual medley, while Luem and Kara Libby took first and second, respectively, in the individual freestyle.

Anna Schreck won the individual breaststroke, and Fitzgerald won the individual backstroke, before Ferguson’s Nicole Tallent broke the string by winning the individual butterfly for the Sea Lions.

But just to make sure there was no doubt as to whom was the team to beat at the 13-14-year-old girls level, the team of Fitzgerald, Schreck, Geiser and Nichols won the medley relay for the Sharks by nearly 40 seconds.

“We’ve got to give credit to all our older teams,” Ankenbrand said. “They really did well tonight.”

In the oldest group, the 15-18-year-old boys and girls, the Sharks and Sea Lions split their 14 events.

Hazelwood won both of the freestyle relays, but lost both medley relays.

Individually, Hazelwood got wins from Samantha Zaiz in the girls medley and backstroke, LaTrae Lane in the boys freestyle, Julia Nichols in the girls freestyle and Peter Hancock in the boys backstroke.

For the season, Hazelwood is 2-3 in team meets and will look to even its mark at its next meet, Tuesday, when the Sharks will take on Bellefontaine at January Wabash pool. 

Hazelwood’s next home meet is Thursday when the Sharks host Florissant at “The Shark Tank” at 6 p.m.

Correction: An earlier version of this article reported that the Ferguson Sea Lions were in first place in the North St. Louis County Municipal Swim League. The team is in fact in second place with a 4-1 record. The Florissant Fish are actually in first place with an untarnished 4-0 record.