Friendships Aside, Carpenter Still Wins

It’s difficult enough to win a Southern Section championship, but Kenny Carpenter of Crescenta Valley High had the additional burden of having to beat some of his best friends along the way.

Carpenter led the Falcons to their first Southern Section Division II boys’ swimming title since 1993 Saturday night at Belmont Plaza.

The junior set a Division II record of 49.47 in the 100-yard butterfly, breaking the 49.49 established by Jeff Julian of Walnut in 1993.

But more impressive may have been his victory in the 200 freestyle, over a loaded field that included defending champion Joel Everman of Notre Dame and Ryan Parmenter of Hart.

Carpenter finished with a lifetime best 1:39.03 for his first individual title in three years.

“The 200 is probably a little bigger because it was such a race,” Carpenter said. “There was a lot of pressure to get the first title. I was really nervous.”

Before the final, Carpenter and Everman--who finished second in 1:40.26--sat side-by-side in the bleachers behind the starting blocks.

“We were trying to keep loose,” Carpenter said. “We were joking we didn’t want to finish eighth.”

Parmenter finished third in 1:40.90 after leading the first 50 yards. Carpenter caught him shortly thereafter and held off Everman in the final 50, bettering his preliminary time by 2.24 seconds.

“I was just trying to hold off Joel,” Carpenter said.

Carpenter may have been the Falcons’ only individual champion, but his teammates came through with solid performances to help win the team title.

Travis Taylor was fourth in the 500 freestyle and eighth in the 200 freestyle.

James Jenkins added a third-place finish in the 50 freestyle, Michael Pak was fourth in the 100 breaststroke and Crescenta Valley had top-three finishes in all three relays. The Falcons, who had 259 points, also won three consolation championships, two by Brian Hasbrouck.

Anthony Ervin of Hart appeared poised to threaten the 50 freestyle division record of 20.52, but finished in 21.07, good enough for first place, but .05 slower than his preliminary time.

Ervin also won the 100 freestyle in 45.65, but wasn’t excited with the results after going faster in both events in the Junior National West region two months ago.

“Sometimes it just doesn’t happen,” Ervin said. “I don’t know if it was the start or what. It hasn’t felt right this whole meet.”

Ervin redeemed himself by swimming the anchor leg of the 400 freestyle relay which Hart won in 3:07.25, breaking the division record set by San Marino in 1990.

The Indians did win the 200 freestyle relay in 1:26.28, beating Crescenta Valley by over two seconds.

Although Ervin, Parmenter, Christian Kneppeck and Eric Pritchett were the only swimmers to earn points for Hart, the Indians finished second with 188 points.

Heather Boylan of Saugus had won five individual titles in the past three years but came up second in the girls’ 200 freestyle with a 1:50.49.

* DIVISION III

Leo Salinas of St. Bonaventure wins two individual events. C14