City College senior won four events at Saturday's Baltimore City swimming finals at Johns Hopkins University. He won the 50-yard freestyle and 100 freestyle, and was part of the first-place 200 medley and freestyle relay.
Jake Balter didn't want his high school career to end without a Baltimore City team championship. The City College High senior took care of that Saturday afternoon in the pool in the O'Connor Recreation Center at Johns Hopkins University.
Balter captured four first-place medals as the Knights won their first title since the 2002-03 campaign. He won the 50-yard freestyle in 26.22 seconds, and 100 freestyle in a fraction over a minute (1:00.01). Balter joined Kevin Gamble (won 100 breaststroke and 200 freestyle) and Marty (first in 200 individual medley) and Nathan Dize (won 100 backstroke and 100 butterfly) on the first-place 200 medley relay.
He capped his afternoon with Henry Waldron (first in 500 freestyle), Gamble and James David-Merril clocking 1:48.87 in the 200 freestyle relay. Despite only having nine performers, City was able to place first in 10 of 11 events to dethroned four-time defending champ Poly.
"We're a really small team," said Balter, who will attend St. Mary's College in the fall, "but we're efficient with what we have."