Acorns primed for individual success
MORGAN HILL — Steven Rick surveyed the pool deck before practice Thursday and, for the first time in his life, felt old.
At age 18, the Live Oak senior has just entered his athletic prime — whereas many of his teammates have just entered high school. Rick is one of only two seniors swimming for the Live Oak boys team this year. The girl’s squad has no seniors.
“I started high school swimming when I was 14, and I’m already 18,” Rick said. “It’s funny how four years go by and everything changes.”
Times certainly have changed for the winningest program in school history; the latest evidence being the boys’ 0-3 start after an undefeated season in Mount Hamilton Division dual meets. Roster numbers are small once again, but the team features an elite corps of talented swimmers primed for individual success.
Along with his 200-yard freestyle relay mates, Cody Coleman, Patrick Acevedo and Danny Robinson, Rick is at the forefront.
“Steven leads by example,” Mack Haines, who’s been coaching water polo and swimming at Live Oak for 30 years, said. “We’re really young, so it’s good to have someone like him here; someone who will always work hard and kind of be an example for the younger swimmers.”
Rick has enjoyed an impressive prep career, but isn’t done yet. He’s aiming to make the CIF-Central Coast Section finals cut in the 200-yard individual medley and 100-yard breaststroke after falling short in prelims a year ago.
“I’ve been working on all my strokes, speed and technique and just trying to get everything down pat,” he said. “So far, I’ve come close to the times I want. I just need to keep going; keep training hard.”
Rick showed off his range of skill during Thursday’s 118-62 loss to Westmont at Live Oak High School, winning the 100 backstroke in 57.78 seconds and taking second (49.88) in the 100-yard freestyle. With Rick swimming the opening leg, the 200-freestyle relay placed second in 1:39.01.
“We’re hoping that relay can get a CCS cut soon,” Haines said.
Looking at the foursome, Haines has put his biggest eggs in one basket. Coleman, who placed third (25:33) in the 50 free Thursday, is one of the team’s best sprinters, senior Patrick Acevedo is a prized relay veteran and Danny Robinson is coming off a promising freshman season. They were major cogs in Live Oak’s run to the second round of the CIF-CCS Division II boys water polo playoffs.
“We’re meshing well,” said Robinson, who also swims the 100 free and 200 IM. “Everyone on the team is good friends with each other. It’s a little different than last year.
“If we each drop our times in the 200-free relay, we can make CCS. I working hard now because I want to get faster for water polo season.”
Acevedo doubles up in 1-meter diving, where two of his toughest competitors are teammates Josh Cobain and Jason Vantrood — a CCS qualifier last year. Cobain won Thursday’s competition with a score of 120.10.
“Basically, our expectation is to get Steven, a diver and a relay into CCS,” Haines said. “That would be our goal right now.
“As far as league goes, last year, we never lost a dual meet. This year, we’re going to struggle just to win a dual meet. This is still the toughest league, but this is still Live Oak. We’re going to compete.”
While the boys squad is rebuilding, the Live Oak girls swimming team is revamping. Although seniorless, the Lady Acorns (2-1 Mount Hamilton) have young talent and plenty of veterans from last year’s bunch that finished fourth in league. That team, too, has a Rick at the helm in Steven’s sister Katie, who was part of three first-place finishes in Thursday’s 95-90 victory over Westmont.
“I just fill in wherever they need me,” Katie, a junior, said. “I basically do everything.”
Katie on Thursday placed first in the 200 IM (2:14.77), 100 breast (1:11.39) and joined Sarah D’Angelo, Michelle Mikaelsson and Rachel Cretcher in winning the 200-medley relay. A short-distance specialist, Katie expects to make the section finals in her individual swims. She reached the consolation finals last year.
“She’s swimming really good right now,” Live Oak coach Lynn Gautschi, a two-time Olympic medalist, said. “She’s had some really fast times, especially for this early in the season.”
Cretcher, a sophomore, is getting back up to speed after breaking her foot in the offseason. Her return was key Thursday, as she swam in the 200 relays and won the 500-yard freestyle, her best event.
“I want to make finals in the 500 and 200 freestyle and help our (200-freestyle) relay get back to CCS,” Cretcher said. “Our team is small, but a lot of the younger girls are stepping up.”
One of the most inspirational of which has been freshman Michelle Mikaelsson, whose brother, Matt Mikaelsson, was killed in a car accident in December. Matt swam for the boys team and was completing his final year of high school.
“Everyone has been supportive of Michelle, and I think that’s helped all of us get by,” Haines said. “High school kids have their own way of dealing with things like this, and they’ve focused on caring for Michelle.”
