Timeout swimming extras: Alex Rosales looking to end Griffith diving drought
December 10, 2012 10:30PM
Updated: January 12, 2013 6:20AM
Rosales looking to end Griffith diving drought
Records are unclear on the point, but it’s believed Griffith has never sent a boys diver to state and hasn’t had a qualifier of any kind in more than a decade.
That drought could end now that senior Alex Rosales is around. Rosales transferred to Griffith this year from Portage, where he was second in the sectional, fifth at the regional and 15th at state last season as a diver.
At his new school, Rosales isn’t a one-dimensional athlete. “He came to me and said, ‘I can swim. Can I come to swim practice?’” Griffith coach Danelle Bulatovich said.
So Rosales is spending five hours a day at practice, split between diving and swimming. At meets, he’s been competing either in three relays or in the 50-yard freestyle and two relays. “I don’t want to tire him out too much before diving,” Bulatovich said.
Having an elite athlete in the pool has been a boost for the younger Panthers. “He adds motivation to practice for some of the boys,” Bulatovich said.
Boys P-T Top 5
1. Chesterton
2. Munster
3. Crown Point
4. Valparaiso
5. Highland
Boys swimmer
of the week
Sammy Odtallah,
Munster
The junior swept the sprints and also swam on a pair of winning relays as the Seahorses beat Valparaiso 116-70 on Thursday. He won the 50 free in 22.90 seconds and the 100 free in 49.41 and also was a member of the winning 200 free and 400 free relay teams.
Girls P-T Top 5
1. Chesterton
2. Munster
3. Crown Point
4. Lake Central
5. Valparaiso
GIRLS Swimmer of the Week
Allison Cunningham, Munster sophomore
In a season that includes some rebuilding, this underclassmen is helping to fill the holes. In a strong showing against visiting Valparaiso on Thursday, Cunningham won both the 200 free (2:00.29) and 500 free (5:22.51) and was a contributor on the winning 400 free relay team.
— correspondents Mike Clark and
Josh Lichtenfeld
