By Dave Krider
MaxPreps.com
Swim Atlanta coach Mark Minier says that Kathleen Hersey "has gone from a chaser to chasee" after winning four gold medals during the recent Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
"She made a huge improvement from last summer to this summer," Minier said.
The 5-foot-11 senior from Marist (Atlanta, Ga.) brought home gold for the USA by winning the 400-meter individual medley in 4:44.08, the 100-meter butterfly in 59.21, the 200-meter butterfly in 2:07.64 and swimming the third leg on the victorious 400-meter medley relay team, which set a Pan Am record of 4:4.80. Both butterfly times were Pan Am records and she won all three individual events by wide margins.
Hersey, indeed, did make a huge splash in Brazil, vaulting into prominence as a leading candidate for the USA Olympic team and quickly becoming a major fan favorite.
"The crowd in Rio just loved her," Marist coach Terry Blish said. "We're still getting e-mails asking for information about her."
"I really loved them (the fans)," Hersey told MaxPreps, "so I'm just glad it was mutual. Their enthusiasm got me through my races, especially the relay."
Prior to the Pan Am Games, Hersey was not a big name, but she had started to move up the ladder by winning the 200-meter butterfly (2:09.92) at the U.S. Spring Championships in March. She also placed second in the 400-meter IM while adding thirds in the 100-meter butterfly and 200-meter IM.
"She really did kind of come out of the pack" Blish said of Hersey's brilliant performances in Brazil. "She really blew me away. It was really phenomenal."
Minier was more confident.
"I really thought she could win all her events. Kathleen continues to find ways to get better. She is a tremendously hard worker. She's a fantastic competitor, not one who struggles with self confidence," Minier said. "But she's also humble and a super human being. She just wants to be one of the girls."
"I was like on Cloud Nine," Hersey said of her four gold medals. "I couldn't believe it happened, but I'm so glad I achieved what I was going for all summer. It's an overwhelming feeling - definitely cool."
One week later - when many other swimmers were still worn out - the competitive Hersey won the 200-meter butterfly in 2:07.19 at the Summer National Championships in Indianapolis, Ind. That time ranks fourth in the world this year.
Hersey, who was adopted at birth, has been swimming since the tender age of two and by age four already was on a team.
"I told my mom, `I don't like this, I just LOVE it,''' Hersey said.
Her first meet at age four already is somewhat legendary. Swimming the backstroke, she gazed toward the bleachers and "realized everyone was cheering for me. I looked up and everyone was smiling. I stopped about half way and just waved to the crowd." Needless to say, she did not win her first race!
At age six she was hooked forever after winning a team award for "showing the most dedication and enthusiasm."
Six years later, she joined Swim Atlanta and came under Minier's tutelage.
"She always has been really talented, and really athletic," Minier said. "She was the best in her group by leaps and bounds. I moved her to the national team (ages up to 16), because she was the kind of kid who needed a challenge to keep her interest up."
As a Marist freshman, "She started to show what she could do," Blish noted. "She was pretty dominant. She won the (state) 100-yard butterfly and 100-yard backstroke and was on the winning 200-yard freestyle relay team (in the second-largest class)."
Hersey calls her frosh campaign "definitely my break-out year on the high school level and I got my first national cut (in the 400 IM). Mark (Minier) really instilled a lot of confidence in me and made me realize my potential."
As a sophomore Hersey broke the state record with a 54.65 clocking in the 100-yard butterfly. She also anchored the championship 200- and 400-yard freestyle relays. She was disqualified in the preliminaries of the 200-yard IM because she used a "downward dolphin kick" at the start of the breaststroke. It was legal at all levels of swimming except high school. She was five seconds ahead of her nearest competitor at the time.
The next year high schools made the downward dolphin kick legal and she set a state record in the 200 IM with a 2:00.21 clocking. She also anchored two relays to state titles and placed second in the 100-yard freestyle in a school-record 51.24.
The story behind those junior-year titles is even bigger than the titles themselves because she had been in bed for three weeks with mononucleosis and started training just nine days before the state meet. Even during those days she was weak and spent very little time in the pool.
Adding to this chapter of the Hersey legend is the story of former Marist swimming star Madeleine Brown, who died during her freshman year of college. The War Eagles dedicated their 2006-07 season to Brown.
Let Kathleen tell the rest: "Her mother was in the stands. I looked at her mom and just got goose bumps. It wasn't just me swimming. It was like having an angel on your shoulder."
The result was her stunning state-record 200 IM triumph, which, of course, came in an event during which she was disqualified the previous year.
Sometime this fall - at halftime of a football game - Kathleen will donate her Pan Am 100-meter butterfly gold medal to Marist High in honor of Madeleine Brown.
Hersey carries a 3.5 GPA and enjoys such courses as English, math and advance placement U.S. history. She played basketball through sixth grade, but her favorite hobby is tennis. She visits nursing homes and tutors students in kindergarten through second grade.
She is a member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and St. Jude the Apostle Church in Atlanta. She stresses, "My faith and family come first."
People who pronounce Hersey's last name with an extra "h" can expect to hear her reply, "I'm not a candy bar!"
However, she is one of the sweetest USA swim candidates for the 2008 Beijing Olympics and may compete in as many as six events during the trials.
As coach Minier puts it, "She has improved significantly and definitely is moving in the right direction. If she keeps improving she should be in Beijing next summer."
Basketball Notes
* Renardo Sidney, arguably the No. 1 junior in the country, is expected to enroll soon at Fairfax (Los Angeles, Calif.). The 6-10, 235-pound center averaged 18.6 points, 9.0 rebounds and 2.7 blocks to help Lakewood Artesia win California's Division II state title last year after moving from Jackson, Miss. He would join returning starters Solomon Hill (6-6 junior) and Chris Solomon (6-2 senior) along with a strong group of younger players.
Fairfax coach Harvey Kitani told MaxPreps over the weekend that it is not official "until I hear from my administrators. Those are the same rumors I've been hearing for the last six months. School starts Sept. 5 but he has not enrolled yet. I'm tickled to death that his family thinks so highly of our program."
* The Goat Squad outlasted Skip To My Lou, 169-164, in the second annual Boost Mobile Elite 24 Hoops Classic at New York's famed Rucker Park. Brandon Jennings and Tyreke Evans shared MVP honors for the winners. Jennings, a 6-1 senior guard from Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.), dished out 23 assists and scored 19 points. Evans, a 6-4 guard from American Christian (Aston, Pa.), scored 26 points.
Sharing MVP honors for the losers were 6-4 junior guard Lance Stephenson and 6-4 senior guard Jrue Holiday. Stephenson of Lincoln (Brooklyn, N.Y.) took game honors with 38 points. Holiday, who plays for Campbell Hall (North Hollywood, Calif.), accounted for 24 points.
* On the recruiting front, the University of Florida has received a commitment from Allan Chaney of New London, Conn. The 6-8, 220-pounder averaged 25 points and 14 rebounds as a junior.
* The University of Alabama has received a commitment from highly-regarded Jamychal Green of St. Jude (Montgomery, Ala.). As a junior, the 6-8, 225-pounder averaged 25 points, 16 rebounds and eight blocks.
* Bellarmine Prep (Tacoma, Wash.) junior Abdul Gaddy has made a commitment to the University of Arizona. The 6-3 point guard averaged 20 points and seven assists as a sophomore.
* North Dakota State has received a commitment from a talented bigman from Iowa, Andy Nagel. The 6-9, 245-pound Fort Dodge St. Edmond post player averaged 16.2 points and 10.4 rebounds as a junior.
* Sapulpa, Okla., star Alyssia Brewer says she will attend the University of Tennessee next year. The 6-4 standout, who led Sapulpa to the Class 6A state title as a junior, has averaged 14.2 points and 8.4 rebounds during her career.
Football Notes
* Two high schools ended 32-game losing streaks over the weekend: Lower Richland (Hopkins, S.C.) halted its skid with a 35-21 victory over Columbia Dreher, while Adams (South Bend, Ind.) snapped its skid with a 29-26 triumph over city foe Riley. A 27-game losing streak was erased when Atherton (Louisville, Ky.) defeated Kentucky Country Day, 14-9.
* A high school tripleheader drew an estimated 17,000 fans to Chicago's Soldier Field. Besides three outstanding games, a highlight was provided by Chicago Hubbard officials, who retired Johnny Lattner's uniform number 34 at halftime of its 27-0 rout of Oak Park Fenwick. The 1953 Notre Dame Heisman Trophy winner was honored - with his wife, children and grand children present - during an emotional ceremony.
* Japan not only is producing some great baseball players, but its football programs apparently are pretty good, too. The Kwansai Fighters, who won Japan's spring national championship, defeated Hawaii's defending Division II state champion, King Kekaulike (Pukalani, Maui), 46-20, after rolling to an early 35-0 advantage.
* South Jordan Bingham continues to look like the No. 1 power in Utah. The Miners nipped powerful Alta, 23-20, before an estimated crowd of 10,000, as BYU-bound kicker Justin Sorensen booted field goals of 59 (one yard shy of the state record), 51 and 30 yards to extend their winning streak to 16 games.
* Mentor senior Kevin Harper kicked a 58-yard field goal - the second-longest in Ohio history - during a 21-10 loss to Youngstown Cardinal Mooney. The Ohio record is 60 yards by B.J. Sander of Cincinnati Roger Bacon, set in 1998.
* Recruited from the soccer team, senior Brian McGohan booted a 34-yard field goal with 10 seconds left to give Loveland (Ohio) a 10-7 victory over Cincinnati Roger Bacon in his first football game.
* Keep an eye on Badin (Hamilton, Ohio) junior quarterback Zach Toerner. During a 62-20 rout of Jefferson Township (Dayton), he completed 16-of-22 passes for 262 yards and six touchdowns, in addition to running nine times for 63 yards and two more touchdowns.
* In Raleigh, N.C., Athens Drive sped past Enloe, 63-47, as the teams combined for over 1,100 yards . In another North Carolina outburst, Burlington Cummings crushed Carrboro, 89-0. It was 69-0 at halftime.Another North Carolina team, Charlotte Country Day, nipped Northwestern (Rock Hill, S.C.), 51-48, in four overtimes.
* Quarterback Trenton Wesson had a near-perfect first half as Episcopal School (Dallas, Texas) rolled past Addison Greenhill, 53-20. He completed 14-of-15 passes for 278 yards and five touchdowns. Two of the touchdown catches were made by his twin brother, Tristan.
* Northwestern (Miami, Fla.) has been a big winner in past years due to its defensive prowess. That's why last week's 50-41 preseason victory over Deerfield Beach was quite surprising. The Bulls, who gave up 602 yards, yielded only 41 points during the 2006 regular season.
* Booker T. Washington appears ready to challenge Northwestern for supremacy in Miami following its impressive 36-3 rout of Summerville, S.C., before a crowd of 8,000 and a national-TV audience. Senior wide receiver Davon Johnson, who will attend the University of Miami, had three catches for 103 yards and two touchdowns to earn Player of the Game honors. Senior quarterback Sancho McDonald completed 13-of-20 passes for 247 yards and two touchdowns. Despite 100-degree heat and problems with cramps, the Tornadoes had too much team speed for Summerville, which suffered its worst loss since 1976.
* St. Xavier (Cincinnati, Ohio) is hopeful that its top running back, Darius Ashley, will be able to play on Sunday against DeMatha Catholic (Hyattsville, Md.) in one of the key national match-ups of the year. Ashley carried twice for a total of nine yards before twisting his ankle during last week's 35-7 victory over city opponent Winton Woods.
* Talented transfer Exavier Johnson will have to miss at least three games before making his debut as starting quarterback at Birmingham (Lake Balboa, Calif.). Johnson, who broke his right hand, passed for nearly 4,800 yards and 54 touchdowns over the past two years at Woodland Hills Taft. The 6-3, 195-pound senior runs 40 yards in 4.5 seconds.
* The University of Alabama continues to land blue-chip, in-state recruits. The latest commitment has come from Mark Barron of Mobile St. Paul's Episcopal. The 6-2, 202-pound wide receiver-running back averaged 10.1 yards per carry and 16.2 yards per reception as a junior. Last spring he won Class 5A state championships in the shot put and triple jump while placing third in the long jump.
* Southern California has received a commitment from Central Arkansas Christian (Little Rock, Ark.) wide receiver Joe Adams. As a junior the 6-0, 167-pounder, who runs a 4.4 40, amassed 633 yards and nine touchdowns as a receiver, but he also ran for 857 yards and 14 touchdowns as a quarterback.
* Hall of Fame quarterback John Elway has joined the staff at Cherry Creek (Englewood, Colo.) so he can help coach his son, Jack, a senior quarterback. The younger Elway has taken unofficial recruiting trips to Oregon and UCLA.
* Farmington Hills Harrison's John Herrington is the second-winningest coach (342 wins in 37 years) in Michigan history. But he will have to march on without defensive coordinator Bob Sutter, who retired after a 35-year career during which Harrison won 12 state titles. Herrington told Detroit News sports writer Tom Markowski, "We'll miss his toughness and motivation. His pre-game speeches were better than mine. His post-game speeches were better."
Volleyball Notes
* The U.S. placed 15th in the FIVB Boys Youth World Championships in Mexicali, Mexico. The U.S. finished with a 3-5 record, beating Egypt twice and powerful China in the first round. Libero Erik Shoji, a senior from Punahou (Honolulu, Hawaii), averaged 1.66 digs per set. U.S. team manager Collin Powers said, "I have never seen a player in the youth age group pass and defend as well as Erik has in this tournament."
* Indiana's No. 1-ranked Class 4A team, Indianapolis Cathedral, nipped No. 2-ranked Muncie Central, 28-26, 27-25, to win the prestigious Tailgate/First Horizon Volleyball Invitational at Mishawaka. Muncie Central junior setter Tessa McGill was named MVP.
Baseball Notes
* Team USA defeated Brazil, 8-2, to finish 6-0 and win the gold medal at the World Youth Championships in Barquisimeto, Venezuela. Andrew Aplin, an outfielder from Vanden (Fairfield, Calif.), led the champs with 4-for-5 at the plate. MVP Justin Charles, an infielder from Elk Grove, Calif., and Randal Grichuk, an outfielder from Lamar Consolidated (Rosenberg, Texas), each went 3-for-4. All three are juniors. Sophomore Zach Lee, a sophomore from McKinney, Texas, struck out eight to get his second victory.
In the semifinals, the USA overcame a 5-1 deficit to stun perennial champion Cuba, 11-6, with a six-run seventh inning. Junior infielder Zach Vincej (Saugus, Calif.) set the pace with a 3-for-3 effort, including a double and two RBI.
* Arundel (Gambrills, Md.) senior pitcher-infielder Tyler Hibbs has made a commitment to Florida State. Last year Hibbs set school records for hits (52) and batting average (.584). He also compiled a 6-2 pitching record with a 0.98 ERA.
Potpourri
* DyeStat has named distance runner Matt Centrowitz, a spring graduate of Broadneck (Annapolis, Md.), as its Boys Athlete of the Year. Chanelle Price, an 800-meter standout who will be a senior at Easton, Pa., Area, has been named Girls Athlete of the Year.
* The Harrier has named Danbury, Conn., No. 1 in the nation in its pre-season boys cross country rankings. Fayetteville Manlius (Manlius, N.Y.) returns five of its top 10 runners from last year's Nike national team champion and is rated No. 1 in the girls division.
* The U.S. under-17 select hockey team finished second at the Five Nations Tournament in Strakonice, Czech Republic. The Americans won four straight games before losing their finale, 7-2, to host Czech Republic, which they had beaten in the first round, 5-1. Other wins were over Slovakia, Germany and Switzerland. Steven Whitney, a 5-6, 155-pound junior at Lawrence Academy (Groton, Mass.), led the Americans with four goals and three assists.
