Indians blaze past Bedford, Lincoln

By MICKEY ALVARADO

Brian Thomas screamed, yelled and waived his arms at his new group of Tecumseh swimmers in the Indians' opening season dual meet and none of the boys seemed to mind at all. In fact, it looked as if they even enjoyed their new coach pushing them to their limits from the side of the Community Pool last Thursday evening.

The first year coach fist-bumped his first and last place swimmers, as long as they gave him everything they could while in the water. What they gave back was a very respectable opening meet victory, defeating both Bedford and Lincoln by a very wide margin. They followed by giving their new coach the Southern Michigan Independent Swim League (SMISL) Relay championship on Saturday, Dec. 13.

The Indians won each and every event in their opening dual meet to tally 142 points for the victory while Lincoln scored 95 and Bedford 73.

A highlight for Tecumseh came midway through the meet with senior Ryan Sloan hitting a state qualifying time in the 100-yard freestyle. He placed first in the race with a time of 51.66 and was backed by teammates Greg Park (55.02) and Alden Eubanks (57.26) who finished second and third, respectively, to sweep the event.

Sloan also won the 50-yard freestyle (23.42) and was a member of the Indians' first place 200-yard freestyle relay team. Other three-win standouts included senior Bip Cline, who recorded two individual first places, (200-yard freestyle, 1:56.39, 500-yard freestyle, 5:26.64) and was a member of the winning 200-yard freestyle relay team. Andrew Eubanks also took three firsts. He won the 200-yard IM (2:15.331) and the 100-yard breaststroke (1:11.69) and was a member of the winning 200-yard freestyle relay team as well. Despite being new to the team, freshman Jalen Jennings was another Indian to take three firsts. He flat out won the diving competition (153.85) and the 100-yard backstroke (1:06.50) and was a member of the winning 200-yard medley relay team.

The night began with the 200-yard medley relay team of Jennings, Adam Heath, Jonathan Collins and Alden Eubanks taking first with a time of 1:53.40. The Indians also placed second (Greg Park, Joseph Williamson, Takumi Ogata and Ben VanTuyle, 2:08.32) while Lincoln (2:10.58) took third.

Cline followed with a win in the 200-yard freestyle (1:56.39) and was followed by teammates Austin See (2:08.97) and Brandon Derby (2:20.68).

Tecumseh then swept the 200-yard IM with Andrew Eubanks first (2:15.31), Jonathan Collins second (2:15.89) and Alden Eubanks third (2:26.71).

Tecumseh recorded a first and second place finish in the 50-yard freestyle with Sloan taking first (23.42) and Patrick McAran second (24.76). Bedford's Jon Lepke placed third (26.10).

In diving, Jennings took first (153.85) while teammate Derek Kupisz took second with 148.25 points. Lincoln's Ace Malboeuf took third (115.71).

Tecumseh's Collins (59.04) won the 100-yard butterfly event while Ogata (1:09.13) finished second for the Indians. Lincoln's Blake Boyle (1:22.23) placed third.

Following Sloan's first place swim in the 100-yard freestyle was teammate Park who placed second in 55.02. Alden Eubanks was third in 57.26.

See (5:52.76) finished second behind Cline (5:26.64) in the 500-yard freestyle. Lincoln's Travis Foote (8:25.86) was third.

The Indians then swept the 200-yard freestyle relay with Andrew Eubanks, McAran, Sloan and Cline touching in at 1:37.05 for first. Finishing second was the team of Ogata, Heath, Spencer Marr and See. Taking third was Tecumseh's team of Mike Reum, Brandon Derby, Ben VanTuyle and Gene Waynick (1:56.08).

Greg Park (1:07.09) followed Jennings (1:06.50) in the 100-yard backstroke while Bedford's Charlie Denniss finished third (1:18.69).

Andrew Eubanks (1:11.69) won the 100-yard breaststroke and was followed by teammate Heath (1:13.19). Bedford's Alex McBride finished third (1:20.21).

To close the meet the Indians swept the 400-yard freestyle relay. The team of McAran, See, Alden Eubanks and Park took first in a time of 3:41.66 while the team of Cline, Collins and Sloan placed second. The team of Jennings, Otaga, Marr and Derby (4:23.32) took third.

At the SMISL Relay championship at Chelsea on Saturday the Indians scored 221 points for the win and were followed by Chelsea (203), Adrian (192), Milan (132), Ypsilanti (92) and Bedford (63).

The Indians won 8-of-11 events for the title. Tecumseh's 200-yard freestyle relay team of Cline, Sloan, McAran and Park placed first (1:35.31) to pick up the gold. The Indians also won the 300-yard IM Relay with the team of Heath, Collins and Andrew Eubanks (3:13.46). The Indians 500-yard freestyle relay team of McAran, Heath, Cline and Derek Kupisz also won their event (4:39.97).

Tecumseh's 300-yard Butterfly team of Ogata, Collins, Andrew Eubanks and Alden Eubanks (2:57.62) also placed first.

The Indians also won the 700-yard freestyle relay with the team of Austin See, McAran, Cline and Park (7:04.60).

The 300-yard butterfly relay was won by Tecumseh's team of McAran, Heath, Andrew Eubanks and See (3:31.29).

To finish the day Tecumseh won both the 600-yard freestyle relay and the 200-yard freestyle relay. The team of Jennings, See and Cline won the 600-yard freestyle relay in 6:11.22 while the Indians 200-yard freestyle relay team of Alden Eubanks, Collins, Sloan and Andrew Eubanks won their race in 1:50.91.

“The senior leadership was great,” said Tecumseh coach Thomas. “The boys all were cheering for each other, so there was a lot of excitement on the pool deck. We got to beat an SEC rival in Chelsea. It was kind of nip and tuck until the last two or three events. Then we pulled it out, so it was a good day for Tecumseh swimming.”

Tecumseh won the relays last year, but it was 11 years prior to that when they had earned the title.

Thomas hails from Dexter and was in the water before the school even had a pool or a state title. He began swimming at the age of eight, continued through high school and played water polo at Eastern Michigan University.

“I've always loved to coach,” he said. “My aspirations then were as they are now, to become a teacher and a coach.”

His first coaching stint was out of the water on the football field at Dexter.

“I spent three years coaching Dexter football before I ever got back in the pool again,” said Thomas. “I really credit Dave Jolly up at Chelsea for grooming me for everything that I needed to learn. For three years he and I worked together. I learned under one of the best coaches in the state. He's got tried and true programs year after year. He was a big supporter of me taking this job.”

Thomas was Jolly's varsity swim coaching assistant at Chelsea as well as the school's head water polo coach for a number of years. He learned of Tecumseh's opening while coaching at Georgetown Country Club.

“I'm pretty excited about being here in Tecumseh,” he said. “Getting to know the kids, the families, the parents have been great. I can't say enough good things about the parents or the boys.”
Deb Wolf assists Thomas and his team manager is varsity swimmer Chelsea Shartle.