Nighthawk tops swim career with strong finish

Jacob Sauter, as he had done as a sophomore and junior at Del Norte High, finished his swimming season at the CIF State Championships last weekend at the Clovis Olympic Swim Complex at Clovis West High.

The 6-foot-2 Nighthawk senior grabbed his highest finish at the state with a third place in the 500-yard freestyle.

“That was really cool,’’ Sauter said. “I came in wanting to finish in top third in the 500 free this year. I came in as the No. 8 seed off my CIF time. After I was done racing, I was happy with all my swims. It capped off a great season.’’

But when he returned home he noticed things were different this time. He would never swim for Del Norte again.

Only about three weeks of classes remain until Sauter graduates from Del Norte.

“It’s kind of weird to not swim for Del Norte ever again,’’ Sauter said. “It’s kind of sad in one sense, but it is kind of exciting to move on. I’m a guy who likes change. Change is something that’s really important.’’

His next pool will be at Michigan State in the fall.

That fulfills a life-long dream to attend college in East Lansing, Michigan and swim for the Spartans.

Sauter noted he’s the fourth generation of family members to go to Michigan State.

To say he’s grown up admiring Michigan State, watching every game he can find on television and rooting for the Spartans would be an understatement.

“I’ve been a Spartan fan forever,’’ he said. “My friends think I’m crazy for going to the cold weather, but I wanted something different.

“I get that all the time. I know it’s far away. I wanted that.’’

Sauter captured both the 200 freestyle and the 500 freestyle races at the San Diego Section championships two weeks ago. It was second consecutive years he’s won those same two events.

This year, he captured the 200 free in 1-minute, 38.71-seconds.

His time in the 500 freestyle was 4:29.46, allowing him to win by almost four seconds.

The Nighthawks, who won the section’s Division II title in 2015, ’16 and ’17 during his career before placing fourth this year.

Sauter carried that personal momentum into the state championships, although the results were great in the 500 free but a bit disappointing in the 200 free.

His time in the 500 free, his second race of last Saturday, was 4:24.09, a personal record.

He placed 15th in the 200 free in 1:40.42.

“When you race against people you haven’t seen much before like the state, you have to focus on your game plan,’’ Sauter said. “After so many years, I’ve learned how to do that, to stay on plan.

“The 4:24 is a good time for me in the 500 free. I thought I could get around that range.

“I know I hurt a lot after that race. I had nothing else to give that race.’’

Sauter’s plans are to major in humanities pre-law with hopes of becoming a lawyer who concentrates on business law.

“I enjoy research and writing and arguing,’’ he said. “Lawyering is all about arguing and debating, isn’t it?

“I thought about going to med school until maybe junior year when it dawned on me that I was a little squeamish around blood and all that stuff.’’

Sauter settled into the pools, and endured all those early morning workouts, after his neighbor introduced him to the sport.

He was all of 8-years-old at that time.

“The competitive nature and the head-to-head racing against people drew me in,’’ he said. “There is more to swimming than just going back and forth in your lane.’’

Also in the state competitions, Poway freshman Ben Huffman was fourth in the 50 free in 20.37 and he also swam a leg of the 200 free relay team with Takato Timmerman, Steven Crotty and Trent Loosbrock that was seventh in 1:24.25.

Timmerman was 15th in the 100 breast in 57.33.