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LEWISBURG — The 50 freestyle is a fickle thing. A rogue wave, wrong breath or a twitch on the kick can define the difference between greatness and calamity.
Ed Zawatski knows this all too well. Even with swimming his fastest, stretching his physical limits to superhero levels, the allure of a state gold just wasn’t in the cards.
The Wyoming Valley West senior sprinter took a silver medal in 50 free at the PIAA Class 3A Swimming & Diving Championships Friday held at Bucknell University’s Kinney Natatorium in Lewisburg. Zawatski finished the race in 20.54 seconds, just 27-hundredths of a second behind La Salle College High School’s Greg Brocato.
“I had to focus on a really explosive start and a really explosive turn,” Zawatski said. “And the second 25 was going to be a horse race no matter what. Like I said, I thought I had a really great race.”
Zawatski looked to be at a disadvantage when the back of his head first appeared out of water. Brocato and a school of sprinters had a half-of-a-body edge (an eternity in the 50 free) after the first 25 yards. Zawatski came off the turn blazing, powerboating his way towards the wall.
When he finally did, Zawatski looked up, emotionless, and settled into the water.
“In my 50 free, I don’t take a breath so I have no idea what’s going on around me,” Zawatski said. “After I hit the turn and pushed off, I heard the crowd going crazy. So I thought, ‘maybe I’m close, maybe I’m not. I don’t know.’ When I heard the roar of the crowd, it was just, ‘keep going faster, keep going faster, keep going faster’”
At this level, he admits the No. 1 thing the competition has over him is weightlifting, allowing them to be more stronger, more powerful as they push through the water.
“Luckily, for me, I have a pretty stroke, a lot of coaches say,” Zawatski said. “What I normally try to do is use that to my advantage.”
Seeded first coming into the championships following his record-setting performance at districts, Zawatski faltered – on what coach Frank Tribendis termed a “terrible start” – in preliminaries for a third-best time of 20.73 seconds. That put him in Lane 3, paired behind Brocato and Perkiomen Valley’s Kyle Dix.
It was the second fastest time of Zawatski’s career, a touch slower than his 20.36 second time at districts two weeks ago.
“A lot of it has to do with how badly you want it,” Tribendis said. “He wanted it bad. He said, ‘Coach, I wanted that race. I feel good.’ I don’t have to tell him how to swim. I just coach the hell out of him.”
Earlier in the day, Zawatski anchored his Wyoming Valley West 200 medley relay to a 21st place finish. He, Llyam MGlynn, Terry Vrabec and Logan Fluegel clocked in a 1:39.64.
“We went up in time a bit but Eddie went a (20.04) in his anchor,” Tribendis said. “The other guys went up a little bit but they’re right there. The whole goal is to come down here, have fun, and swim faster.”
The Wyoming Valley Conference’s only other competitor Friday was Hazleton Area’s Felicia Grego. The West Chester-bound senior placed 30th in two races. She swam a 1:00.73 in the 100 fly and a 2:00.28 in the 200 free.
In his fourth try, Zawatski will look for his first career state medal in the 100 free Saturday, referring to it as a “whole new ball game.” He will be joined by Pittston Area’s Brandon Winters (100 back) and Terry Vrabec (100 breast). Wyoming Valley West girls will be participating in the 400 free relay.
Friday’s Results
CLASS 3A BOYS
Name`School`Grade`Event`Place
Ed Zawatski`Wyoming Valley West`Sr.`50 Freestyle`2nd
Valley West Relay`Wyoming Valley West“200 Medley Relay`21st
CLASS 3A GIRLS
Name`School`Grade`Event`Place
Felicia Grego`Hazleton Area`Sr.`200 Freestyle`30
Felicia Grego`Hazleton Area`Sr.`100 Butterfly`30
Saturday’s Events
CLASS 3A BOYS
Name`School`Grade`Event`Seeding
Ed Zawatski`Wyoming Valley West`Sr.`100 Freestyle`4
Brandon Winters`Pittston Area`Sr.`100 Backstroke`32
Terry Vrabec`Wyoming Valley West`Sr.`100 Breaststroke`32
CLASS 3A GIRLS
Name`School`Grade`Event`Seeding
Alexis Ivanitch`Wyoming Valley West`So.`100 Breaststroke`7
Valley West relay`Wyoming Valley West“400 Medley Relay`16
Claire Winton`Wyoming Valley West“500 Freestyle`8