By Bruce Karnick

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Hastings, Simley and St. Thomas Academy (STA) are three swimming powerhouses in the Metro East Conference. This year, the conference belongs to STA with Hastings taking second and Simley third.

What helped the Raiders was the win over Two Rivers at home on Feb. 3, 100-84. Hastings jumped out to the early lead, 12-2 in the 200-medley relay scoring first and second. The 200 freestyle and the 200 individual medley extended the Raider lead 30-16. Two Rivers stormed back in the 50-freestyle closing the gap 35-27. After diving, the Raiders lead was down to two, 40-38.

After the intermission that follows diving, those in at- tendance at Hastings Middle School were in for a treat. Philip Jensen had been eyeing two pool records and it was now or never for the senior. The first record that Jensen was shooting for was the 100 butterfly. 51.37 seconds later, the pool and Metro East Conference records were his, and Hastings extended its lead for good, 52-42.

Hastings kept adding to its lead with each subsequent event. Then came the 100 backstroke, the second record that Jensen had his sights set on. Jensen did not disappoint, finishing in 51.86, breaking the pool record and vaulting his name to the top of the Metro East Conference All-Conference list.

The coaches named Jensen and Nathan Barker the swimmers of the meet. Barker joined Jensen who also had two lifetime-best swims, beating his previous times in the 50 and 100 freestyle races by over 1.5 seconds each.

Up next for the varsity swimmers is a lot of tapering practices to prepare for the Section meet February 23-25 at Bluewater Swim center in Apple Valley. For fans looking to attend that meet, get there early. The Bluewater facility is not much bigger than the Hastings pool, so seating and parking fill up quickly. Also, do not sit in the front three rows. Once the teams fill the pool deck, it is nearly impossible to see from those rows.