Mustang swimming looks to make waves in 4A Kingco

For Redmond head swim coach Julie Barashkoff, there is certainly no rest for the weary. Just days after the girls’ swim season ended with Heather Harper’s thrilling gold-medal breaststroke performance at the state meet to go along with the Mustang 200-yard medley relay team’s sixth-place finish, she was at it again at the helm of the boys’ squad, which turned out a solid 30 swimmers this season.

By Tim Watanabe • December 21, 2010 5:51 pm
Redmond High boys' swim and dive team captains Kevin Creekmore (left) and Alec Stohl will be the leaders in the pool for the Mustangs this winter. Both will contribute in the freestyle and relay events.
Redmond High boys' swim and dive team captains Kevin Creekmore (left) and Alec Stohl will be the leaders in the pool for the Mustangs this winter. Both will contribute in the freestyle and relay events.

For Redmond head swim coach Julie Barashkoff, there is certainly no rest for the weary.

Just days after the girls’ swim season ended with Heather Harper’s thrilling gold-medal breaststroke performance at the state meet to go along with the Mustang 200-yard medley relay team’s sixth-place finish, she was at it again at the helm of the boys’ squad, which turned out a solid 30 swimmers this season.

And much like the girls’ team did, Barashkoff will be counting on her young boys’ team to improve upon their raw talent and start to drop time late in the season with the hopes of nailing down some district and state berths.

“We’re still pretty young, and our quickest ones are pretty much our sophomores… we’re hoping to get one, maybe two relays in (to state),” she said. “If we can get all three relays, that gets us a couple more kids in. We have two guys that are hoping for state times, I think Kingco or Districts is when we’ll be seeing those times.”

With a big incoming sophomore class this year, a lot of the Mustangs’ speed will be found from the younger set.

Tenth-graders Nicholas Kodati and Michael Pavlov headline that group, as they both made a splash last year as freshmen and are accomplished swimmers in the butterfly event. Kodati is also a threat in the backstroke and Pavlov will be a key piece to the Mustangs’ free relay teams.

Another sophomore, Phil Klassen, is one of the younger siblings of 2008 4A state diving champion Max Klassen, and looks to follow in his brother’s footsteps on the 1-meter platform.

“(Diving) is a big Klassen tradition, and both of them are looking good,” said Barashkoff, noting that Phil also has a younger brother, Eric, who is on the team. “They’re just a freshman and a sophomore, so we have them around for a couple more years. I’m sure they’ll be at state.”

SCHEDULING WOES

Although they are fortunate to not have to wake up for 5 a.m. practices like some Kingco schools, Barashkoff was the first to admit that the winter sports schedule does not work in the athletes’ favor.

“It’s hard because we have this two-week break coming up, and a lot of them go on vacation,” she explained. “I’m pretty strict about practices, so if you’re in town, you’re here at practice… we’ll have just six days of practice over the next two weeks and then we come back and swim on that Tuesday, and then just four weeks until the end of the season, the championship part.”

With the heart of the season coming up after a long layoff, the seventh-year coach hopes that kids will stay physically and mentally prepared on their own time during the holidays, so they can come back ready to make a serious run down the home stretch – hopefully ending at the King County Aquatics Center this February.

“We have to hold it together,” said Barashkoff. “I absolutely think that it’s a close (knit) team, and they really enjoy swimming together. We really pride ourselves on our team unity.”

The Mustangs’ next meet is a dual matchup against Ballard and Woodinville on Tuesday, Jan. 4 at 3 p.m. at Redmond Pool.

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REDMOND HIGH SWIM & DIVE AT A GLANCE

• Coach: Julie Barashkoff, 7th season

• Last season: 4-5 in 4A Kingco League meets

• 2010-11 turnout: 30

TOP RETURNERS

• Sophs. Nicholas Kodati, Michael Pavlov: Pair of 10th graders both swim the butterfly well. Kodati is one of three solid backstrokers and Pavlov will swim freestyle events.

• Sr. Kevin Creekmore: Most experienced of the Mustang returners, will be swimming the short-distance freestyle events and contribute to relay squads.

• Sr. Alec Stohl: Freestyle and backstroker, will continue to develop and improve his times as season progresses.

• Soph. Phil Klassen: Next in line for the diving Klassen clan, he is also a very strong backstroker.

KEY NEWCOMERS

• Soph. Albert Jiang: Versatile swimmer knows all the strokes and will be a threat in the individual medley.

• Jr. George Meier, Fr. Eric Klassen: Pair of divers will add depth to the Mustangs on the platform this year.

KEY MEET

• Thursday, Jan. 6 vs. Eastlake at Redmond Pool, 3:30 p.m.: Redmond’s matchup against the rival Wolves is always a good one, both teams were in a rebuilding stage last year and have come back stronger.

DID YOU KNOW?

Coach Barashkoff’s husband, Andre, was recently hired as the head coach of the Redmond High girls’ basketball team, making them the first husband-wife pair to be coaching different sports during the same season in school history.