Daily Record from Morristown, New Jersey • Page 82

S6 Daily Record, Morris County, N.J., Sunday, February 25, 1996 High School Swimming I A r.A 0. iX" Bohm, Elko attempt to add to collection of gold medals by Bob Shwalb Daily Record Tashy Bohm backstrokes the length of the pool, 50 yards, in exactly 13 strokes. She arrived at that number the hard way by taking 14 strokes. "I saw stars," Bohm said of her head-first meetings with the concrete wall. The last time (it happened), I think I was about 13.

I must have lost count or missed the flags or something, and I just rammed my head." It happens to the best of them. At next month's New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association Meet of Champions, the West Morris junior will try to win a third consecutive title in the 100-yard backstroke. "My freshman year, it was like, Bohm said, recalling her first state crown. Then last year, I had that reputation to keep up. This year, there's more pressure because I'm kind of expected to win." Morris Knolls senior Brian Elko knows how she feels.

Before Bohm even dries off, Elko will be in the BOB KARPDaily Record Mountain Lakes' Brian Elko, above, is the defending boys state champion in the 100-meter backstroke; West Morris' Tashy Bohm, below, has won two straight girls titles. SH," swimming circles for their proficiency in another stroke. "I used to be a flyer," Bohm said. "Backstroke was actually my worst event. I could barely do it until I was about 12.

"When I was 11 or 12, 1 was a butterflyer," Elko said. "Then, all of a sudden, I got to eighth grade and my backstroke started to pick up. I stuck with it and it's gotten Brian Elko better." All through high school, Elko and Bohm have been labeled "back-strokers." Actually, they're superb all-around swimmers who happen to be extraordinary in one event. "I guess I know I have that label," Elko said. "That doesn't bother me, though.

People will find out this year that I'm a flyer, too." Elko tried to make that point in the pool at last year's Meet of Champions but faltered in the butterfly preliminaries. His subpar time placed him in the consolation finals, from which he could finish no better than seventh. And that's what he did, despite swimming a faster time in the consolations (52.1 seconds) than any of the six finalists. Since then, Elko has rung up personal bests of 50.78 seconds in the backstroke and 50.45 in the butterfly the fastest times of any schoolboy swimmer in the state this season. Barring unforeseen circumstances, he should finish his high school career with a pair of Meet of Champions gold medals.

Bohm's backstroke and butterfly times are shrinking as well. At last weekend's U.S. Swimming Regionals in Syracuse, N.Y., she set a personal record and state-best fean jfUr, "i J9 -if. CHRIS PEDOTADaily Record college because there'll only be three or four people per lane. "I'm still dropping my times, though, and when I go to college, I'll drop them even more." Bohm knows what crowded lanes are like from having trained elsewhere.

"It's survival of the fittest," she said. "Whoever doesn't get hit makes it to the other end." And like a marathoner, Bohm wants to avoid hitting the wall, unless it's with her outstretched fingers, and before anyone else. Moorestown program that won the state title the three years preceding his team's victory a year ago. "They're never going to be slouches," Leshnower said. "Moorestown is up there every year and you can't take them lightly.

It's not like we're going to swim a powder-puff lineup against them, though. Our guys are psyched." Leshnower passes much of the credit for his team's success on to Mike Cody and Keira Cruz, who train these athletes at Lakeland Hills YMCA. Another extremely important component of the team is its non-club swimmers, trained by Leshnower. Providing critical depth are the likes of Mike Wilson, Marc Doerig, Evan Hayward and Dan Boutereia. What Leshnower is most proud of is that his two groups the club swimmers and the non-club simmers have come together as a team.

"Everyone goes nuts rooting for each other," Leshnower said. pool at Rutgers University gunning for his second consecutive title in the boys' 100 backstroke. "I'm sure everybody's going to be shooting for me because I won it last year," 'IV Tashy Bohm Elko said. "It should be a lot of fun, though, seeing if I can repeat." Defending backstroke titles isn't the only thing Elko and Bohm have in common. Before reaching high school, both were well-known in SPORTS BULLETIN BOARD MOTT-LEENEY BASEBALL CAMP NEWARK ACADEMY BEGINNING ITS 2BTH YEAR Applications are being accepted for the 28th annual Mon-Leeney Baseoatl Camp held at Newark Academy, across from the Livingston Mall The first session will begin Monday.

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Compared to most pools, the lanes at Berkeley are relatively uncrowded a huge advantage for a backstroker. On the other hand, Elko trains in a lane with seven other swimmers at Lakeland Hills and most of them are doing faster strokes. It's like being one of eight Ferraris going around a racetrack, only Elko is going in reverse. "I don't get to do that much backstroke training these days," Elko said. "Ill be able to do more of it in 4' 17; mark in the 100-yard backstroke (57.27).

And earlier this month, she won her second consecutive Morris County butterfly title in record meter time Like Elko, she is eager to demonstrate her flexibility at the Meet of Champions. "Backstrokers do a lot of kicking and their ankles have to be super-flexible," said Mike Cody, who coaches Elko at Lakeland Hills YMCA. "Brian and Tashy have amazing flexibility and that helps them a lot." nower's squad will do battle with Franklin tomorrow at 8 p.m. at Trenton State College for the championship. "They're awesome," Leshnower said of Franklin.

"They've got this girl, Katie Anderson, who's made Olympic Trial cuts in the 200 fly. Division Girls Preview Mountain Lakes vs. Franklin They've got a lot of real tough, fast girls." Last year, the Lakers had a mere nine girls and yet they surprised almost everyone by reaching the final. That's where it ended, however, as they were overwhelmed by a much larger Moorestown squad. A similar result may be inevitable this time, simply because Franklin is a Group III school and Mountain Lakes is in Group I.

v1 How to score Gel on ine Dali ano rem a Doage Gur-d Caravan Of Jeep Grand Cherokee from Thrifty Car Remai al a historically 'ow rate. for worldwide reservations call 1-800-F0R-CARS" Lakers unlikely to beat Franklin Mountain Lakes shoots for repeat By Bob Shwalb Daily Record Mountain Lakes girls swim coach Dave Leshnower has charted the waters and, with the 18 extremely talented freshman hands on the pool deck, next year he sees a state Division championship on the horizon. The present isn't too bad either as his girls have landed in the state final for two straight years. Lesh- kilM, MJf If If Something else that helps is their tremendous dedication. Bohm not only trains six days a week and 11-plus months a year, but she travels all the way to Berkeley Heights to do it twice a day.

"She lives 45, 50 minutes away in Long Valley," said Jim Wood, her coach at the Berkeley Aquatic Club. "She's here at 5:30 in the morning and then she's back again at 3:30 in the afternoon." One advantage of Bohm's extra-long commute is that it helps her "This year, we're a little more optimistic," said Laker junior Jocelyn Sutton. "We have 18 girls now, so basically we've doubled our team. "If we win, itU be great. If we don't, that's still OK because at least we got this far." Leshnower sees his team at the very least making a better showing this time around.

Leading the way will be co-captains Ashley Fleming and Sutton, as well as Carrie Woynerowski, Katie Cuskie, Randi Marshall and Ali Fleming. Considering that 12 of the Lakers are first-year high school performers (including nine freshmen) and that a bumper crop of talent is on the way, the team has nothing but bright skies ahead, win or lose. "We're all really excited about going down there again," Sutton said. "This year, we're definitely thinking about winning the meet." "The timetable is still for next year," Leshnower said. "All this is still gravy." Call about our weekend specials! by Bob Shwalb Daily Record Rarely in the annals of Daily Record area high school sports has so small a group accomplished so much as the Mountain Lakes boys swim team.

The Lakers all 11 of them recently won their third consecutive Morris mmh County championship and are poised to repeat as state Division champions. Coach Dave Leshnower's boys Mountain Division Preview Lakes vs. Moorestown MONDAY, FEBRUARY 26th Through Js MARCR 3rd in the squad will try to accomplish this tomorrow when it meets Moorestown at Trenton State College at 6 p.m. The impending graduation of seniors Dan Russell, Drew Baker, Kris Jurka and Brian Mendell means that the team's run of success is nearing its end. "It's going to be a long time before we see a group of swimmers around here like this again," Leshnower said.

"If we win it again, this group will have fulfilled all its expectations." Leshnower put the emphasis on the word "if." Never one to count his chickens, he's wary of a ROCKAWAY TOWNSQUARE MALL ROCKAUAY, NJ. Mall Hours Mall ide rnigrn mssn msmi (Lower Level) See this season new power fishing boats under one roof imi.