City College rode the backs of (from left to right) Kevin Gamble, Jake Balter, Nathan Dize and Marty Dize to the Baltimore City title Saturday afternoon. Gamble won the 100-yard breastroke and 200 freestyle, Balter placed first in the 50 and 100 freestyle, Nathan Dize captured the 100 butterfly and 100 backstroke, and Marty Dize won the 200 individual medley. The quartet placed first in the 200 medley relay.
City College coach Gloria Green was more than happy to test Johns Hopkins University's pool after Saturday's Baltimore City finals. The Knights won 10 of 11 events to claim their first crown since the 2002-03 campaign.
City College High swimming coach Gloria Green was so confident about her boys' squad's chances at the Baltimore City championships Saturday, she didn't wear any makeup.
The Knights didn't disappoint Green, winning the crown at Johns Hopkins University's O'Connor Recreation Center. She had to take the traditional plunge in the pool as The Alameda school claimed its first title since the 2002-03 winter campaign.
"We had a few pool problems and lost a few kids," said Green. "The kids who stayed pulled it together and worked really hard."
"We're a really small team," said City senior Jake Balter, "but we're efficient with what we have."
Balter, who will attend St. Mary's in the fall, and junior Kevin Gamble each captured four first-place medals as City (320 points) won all but one event to distance rival Poly. The Engineers, whose four-year title run was snapped, won the 400-yard freestyle relay.
The quartet of Marty and Nathan Dize, Gamble and Balter got the Knights off of the championship path, clocking 2 minutes, 4.33 seconds in the 200-yard medley relay. Henry Waldron and James David-Merril joined Gamble and Balter on the winning 200 freestyle relay.
Nathan Dize captured first in the 100 butterfly (1:19.73) and 100 backstroke (1:19.92), and Waldron won the 500 freestyle (7:25.85). Balter won the 50 (26.22) and 100 (1:00.01) freestyle events, and Gamble placed first in the 200 freestyle (2:18.73) and 100 breaststroke (1:10.46).
The Knights move into the postseason, and the Class 1A/2A/3A North Region meet at the Arundel Olympic Swim Center in Annapolis Feb. 16.Gamble, who was a starting linebacker for the Knights' football last fall, said City brings a football-like mentality to the pool.
"We don't have numbers of teams like Poly, Western, but everybody do their job," said Gamble, one of nine performers. "We're like a little militia and everybody contributes."
Baltimore City Boys' Swimming Championship
at Johns Hopkins University
Team scores: 1. City College, 320; 2. Poly, 253; 3. Digital Harbor, 159; 4. Dunbar, 142; 5. Mervo, 56; 6. Patterson, 46; 7. Carver Tech, 37.
Individual results
200-yard medley relay: 1. City, 2:04.33 (Marty Dize, Kevin Gamble, Nathan Dize, Jake Balter); 2. Digital Harbor, 2:19.36; 3. Dunbar, 2:33.85.
200 freestyle: 1. Gamble, City, 2:18.73; 2. James David-Merril, City, 2:27.62; 3. Bryce Humphrey, Poly, 2:38.88.
200 individual medley: 1. Marty Dize, City, 2:35.79; 2. Adam Stokes, City, 2:54.73; 3. Nathan Rehr, Poly, 3:05.47
50 freestyle: 1. Balter, City, 26.22; 2. Derrick Craddock, Poly, 26.5; 3. Lou Almojuela, Digital Harbor, 27.25.
100 butterfly: 1. Nathan Dize, 1:19.73; 2. Almojuela, Digital Harbor, 1:23.26; 3. Henry Waldron, City, 1:30.7.
100 freestyle: 1. Balter, City, 1:00.01; 2. Craddock, Poly, 1:03.51; 3. Merril, City, 1:03.64
500 freestyle: 1. Waldron, City, 7:25.85; 2. Bryce Humphrey, Poly, 7:30.56; 3. Robert Plummer, Digital Harbor, 7:58.35.
200 freestyle relay: 1. City, 1:48.87 (Gamble, Waldron, Merril, Balter); 2. Poly, 1:50.71; 3. Digital Harbor, 2:00.73
100 backstroke: 1. Nathan Dize, City, 1:19.92; 2. Stokes, City, 1:21.61; 3. John Black, Poly, 1:30.99
100 breaststroke: 1. Gamble, City, 1:10.46; 2. Marty Dize, City, 1:15.02; 3. Samuel Johnston, Poly, 1:16.19.
400 freestyle relay: 1. Poly, 4:28.88 (Duane Dennis, Christiano Quijano, Samuel Johnston, Derrick Craddock); 2. City, 4:51.59; 3. Dunbar, 5:39.94.