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Close competition still counts to Cobras coach

By STEVE LEE
Published September 21, 2006

HUDSON - Monday's losses to Mitchell's boys and girls teams dropped Hudson's squads to 3-2, so why has Julie Heise been so upbeat this week?

By Wednesday afternoon, Hudson's cheerful coach was still basking in the scare her girls put on Mitchell's streak in Monday's makeup of an Aug. 31 rainout. The Mustangs won their 20th straight dual meet 91-85 over the Cobras.

"We had the Mitchell girls really scared," Heise said. "We had them shaking in their boots."

The outcome remained in question until the final race, the 400-yard freestyle relay, with Mitchell leading 87-75. Hudson's foursome of Abigail Campbell, Jessica Jackson, Celeste Degan and Melissa Brinkman won in four minutes, 31.23 seconds, but the Mustangs earned four points in that race to the Cobras' 10 to hang on for the win.

Hudson led 37-31 through the diving competition before the Mustangs rallied.

"It was neck-and-neck the whole entire meet," Heise said. "What a great meet that was."

Even more startling is that the Cobras hung close without one of the their best. Cindy Bachelor, troubled by a lingering wrist injury most of the past two seasons, shut it down after last week's meet against Land O'Lakes. The junior freestyler is likely done for the season.

"She has had severe wrist pain," Heise said of Bachelor, whose left wrist often is swollen and discolored. "She swam through the pain last year.

"I knew up front at the beginning of the season that there was a good possibility she wouldn't be able to continue. Hopefully, she'll be back next year."

For Heise and the Cobras, next year holds much promise considering there are no senior girls on the roster. And two of her top swimmers, Jackson and Brinkman, are freshmen.

"I told (the Mitchell coaches), 'I'll be back next year,' " Heise said.

Having lost to Mitchell and Land O'Lakes, both of which are unbeaten, Heise predicted her girls would not lose again in the regular season.

"We should be 8-2 at the end of the season," she said. "Then we can go into the (Sunshine Athletic Conference meet) thinking we can be right up there."

TIME OVER Wins: Wesley Chapel's girls and boys have yet to win a meet, but coach Lisa Whidden said her swimmers are not disheartened by their 0-3 starts.

That's a far cry from last season, when the Wesley Chapel girls won the Class 2A, District 5 title.

"It's not bad, actually," Whidden said. "Even though the team as a whole isn't winning, their times are getting better."

Joey Newkirk has ranked among the county's top freestylers this season, but Whidden has really been impressed with times dropped by Micaela Lydon and newcomer Irene Mincuzzi.

Lydon, who at districts last year swam the 100 fly in 1:18, has dropped two seconds in that event.

"I gave her a whole bunch of workouts to do over the summer," Whidden said.

Mincuzzi, an exchange student from Italy, was a synchronized swimmer who asked Whidden during a physical education class if she could come out for swimming.

"It's been a very nice surprise to have her," Whidden said.

[Last modified September 20, 2006, 22:56:26]