(Posted April 20, 2001)

The short course championship season began with the "A" Championships, which doubled as the last-chance qualifying meet for the Texas State Championships (TAGS for 14 & unders and Sectionals). Many of our swimmers who had already qualified for the state meets either swam a limited number of events or, in the case of many high school swimmers, took the weekend off completely. In spite of this, the Dallas Mustangs still finished the meet in fourth place and had many strong performances. Those swimmers finishing in the top eight were: Alex Weber, Ashley Rape, Spin Beck, Megan Daniel, Lauren Roth, Meredith Monroe, Alex Jennings, Diana Larson, Molly Bollen, Kate Gunning, Caroline Jennings, Nicole Keller, Meredith Grubb, Jessica Shaw, Maggie Marshall, Erica Saito, Margaret Henderson, Christina Hoover, Jennifer Penley, Caleb Veazey, Michael Carpenter, Matt Saunders, Jeff Shipp, and Roy Maute.

Those swimmers achieving best times at the meet were: Alex Weber, Hannah Ferrin, Ashley Rape, Spin Beck, Megan Daniel, Alex Jennings, Molly Bollen, Kelsey Hendricks, Meredith Monroe, Lauren Roth, Nicole Keller, Erika Saito, Audrey Rogers, Arielle Goldberg, Meredith Grubb, Kate Gunning, Beth Geis, Jessica Shaw, Caroline Jennings, Margaret Henderson, Beverly Yee, Brooke Louisell, Brittany Miller, Whitney Jones, Kim Hallum, John Bannon, Clint Hallum, Michael Carpenter, Brooks Haller, Matt Saunders, Roy Maute, and Matt Knubowitz.

New to this short course season, only swimmers ages 14 and under are able to compete in this event. While we missed having the older Mustangs there on the deck during the meet, many loyal swimmers came to cheer their younger teammates in a great showing of Mustang team pride. The loud voices of our parents, coaches, and fellow teammates helped to push the Mustangs to another top ten finish at TAGS. We finished a strong eighth place in the whole state of Texas with just under 140 points.

Over 20 Mustangs had individual cuts going into the meet, and another 5 made it on relays. We were very proud of the effort that our kids put forth. Some had made big drops just to make the meet and many were able to improve their times even further when they stepped up at the right time.

Codie Hansen led our 13-14 girls with 46 points and tied for high point honors in that division. She posted seven Top 16 reportable times and was a real team player swimming events ranging from the 100 free up to the 1650 free - all this despite not swimming on Saturday morning due to being involved with a special honor program at her school. Mustangs are well rounded!

Spin Beck led our 10 & under girls with 23.5 points and seven Top 16 reportable times (5 individual & 2 relays). In between her "elite" soccer games, Ashley Rape made three finals and was a big part of our two top 16 relays for the 10 & under girls. Meredith Grubb scored in the 50 free final and posted a blazing 53.9 on the end of our 400 Medley Relay in her "young" year as far as the age group is concerned.

Caleb Veazy rocked to a 4th place finish in the 10 & under boys 100 fly and just missed making the finals in the 50 fly, 200 free, and 200 IM by an average of .4 per event! The tough luck award definitely goes to Megan Daniel. She missed her two 11-12 girl’s breastroke finals by a not so grand total of .08!

"Sectionals? What on earth is that?" you may ask. The Speedo Championship Series Sectionals are new meets on the calendar this year and replace the Junior Championships from years past. It is a senior level meet, which teams can use as a last chance to qualify for the United States National Championships. This year we traveled to San Antonio for the Sectional meet, which was held on the first weekend of March, and competed against the best swimmers and teams from all over Texas. The Mustangs took a strong squad and competed fiercely to a second place team finish, just behind Cypress-Fairbanks from the Houston area. Candace Blackman and Katie McClelland led the charge by winning multiple events, and Codie Hansen added to the excitement by making a national qualifying time in the 200 freestyle.

The following is our Sectional team and their top sixteen results:

Candace Blackman (50 fr – 1st, 500 fr – 4th, 100 fl – 1st, 200 fr – 1st, 100 fr – 1st, 200 fl – 6th)

Codie Hansen (50 fr – 6th, 500 fr – 5th, 200 fr – 2nd, 100 bk – 8th, 100 fr – 2nd)

Jennifer Blackman (50 fr – 7th, 100 fl – 13th, 100 bk – 10th, 100 fr – 5th)

Kelly Cobourn (50 fr – 14th)

Sarah Wells

Katie McClelland (500 fr – 2nd, 100 br – 1st, 200 fr – 5th, 100 br – 1st)

Courtney Patterson (100 fl – 5th, 200 IM – 4th, 100 bk – 3rd, 200 bk – 4th)

Meredith Grubb

Kate Gunning

Megan McNamara

Kenley Woods (100 br – 14th)

Caroline Jennings

Laura McGarrah

Maggie Toploski

Claire Henderson (200 IM – 12th, 400 IM – 9th, 1650 fr – 5th)

Whitney Henderson

Women’s 400 Medley Relay – "A" – 1st (Patterson, McClelland, C. Blackman, J. Blackman); "B" – 13th (Hansen, Woods, Wells, McNamara)

Women’s 800 Free Relay - "A" – 2nd (Hansen, McClelland, J. Blackman, C. Blackman); "B" – 10th (McNamara, Patterson, Woods, Wells)

Women’s 400 Free Relay - "A" – 1st (J. Blackman, Hansen, McClelland, C. Blackman,); "B" – 7th (Patterson, Woods, McNamara, Wells)

Eric Gusa (50 fr – 8th, 100 fl – 5th)

Andrew Hansen (50 fr – 13th, 200 fr – 8th)

Armando Cajide

Kenneth Wherry (500 fr – 16th, 400 IM – 12th, 200 fl – 10th)

Fabian Toth

Dennis Bowsher (200 br – 15th)

Jeff Girard (200 br – 14th)

Griffin Marshall (100 br – 5th)

Men’s 400 Medley Relay - "A" - 8th (Hansen, Marshall, Gusa, Cajide)

Men’s 800 Free Relay - "A" – 8th (Hansen, Gusa, Wherry, Girard)

Men’s 400 Free Relay - "A" – 4th (Hansen, Gusa, Cajide, Girard)

The Dallas Mustangs capped off one of the best years in the team’s history with an outstanding performance at this year’s United States National Championships/World Championship Selection Meet. The best swimmers in the country met in Austin for six days of fierce competition. The top two finishers in each race would qualify to represent the United States at the World Championships in Japan this summer. The World University Games team was also selected to compete in China this summer against other college aged swimmers from other countries. Katie McClelland qualified for this team with an outstanding performance in the 200 breaststroke. We are also extremely proud of Candace Blackman and her performances at Nationals. Candace qualified for the United States National Junior team in the 100 free and the 100 fly. She will represent the United States in junior competitions (18 and under) around the world in the coming years. To round out our team at Nationals and providing incredible performance on our relays were Codie Hansen, Courtney Patterson, Jennifer Blackman, and Debbie Forinash. Our women’s team finished in tenth place – a huge accomplishment considering that we were competing against not only the best clubs teams in the country, but also against college teams.

The top ten women’s team scores were:

1. USC 187

2. AUBURN UNIV. 186.5

3. UNIV. OF TEXAS 144

4. STANFORD UNIV. 115

5. DYNAMO SWIM CLUB 112.5

6. IRVINE NOVAS 110

7. LAKE ERIE SILVER 92

8. TERRAPINS 91

9. SUN DEVIL AQUAT. 82

10. DALLAS MUSTANGS 80

10. UNIV. FLORIDA 80

Well, it's that time again. The Dallas Mustangs are hosting the 20th Annual Mustang Classic "A" Invitational at SMU on May 11, 12 and 13 and we need your help! There will be 4 sessions; Friday pm, Saturday am, Saturday pm and Sunday am, with all age groups swimming at each session. In order for this meet to be successful, we need as many parents of "A" swimmers as possible to work the meet. Obviously, it would be wonderful if any other parents would like to volunteer. This is a big, fun, exciting, outdoor meet with some great swimming.

We are hoping that the committee chairs from the earlier meets would like to continue as chairs for this meet and make sure your areas are covered. If not, please contact Lori Bannon (214-265-1956) or Jeff Veazy (214-348-6233) as soon as possible so we can find a replacement. The current chairs are:

Clerk-of-Course - Lori Bannon

Awards - Theresa Marshall

Hospitality - Nelia Buckley

Computers - Adele Wherry

Timing System Setup - John Wherry

Announcer - Ted Shaw

Safety Marshals - Jeff Veazy

Head Timers - Chairperson needed

Sign up sheets will be posted at all three pools: Loos, CFB and SMU. If you are interested in working on any of these committees, please contact Lori Bannon (214-265-1945) as soon as possible. None of the jobs are hard to learn and we'd be happy to teach you. We can also use swimmers who aren't competing to work as runners.

Also, please remember to sign up to bring food for hospitality in addition to working as a volunteer. If you are interested in running an ad in the heat sheet, call Jeff. This is always a great meet, but its success depends on all of us. Please volunteer! Call Lori or Jeff with any questions. Thank you.

Ann Fenton and Ryan Gunter's (Bronze - HP) Destination ImagiNation Team from Stonewall Jackson Elementary took 1st place at the Dallas Regional Tournament and will represent Dallas at the State Tournament. Congratulations and good luck to both of these Mustang swimmers!

As was explained in the last newsletter, the Dallas Mustangs Swim Team operates under the direction of The Dallas Mustangs Parent Association nine-member Board of Directors. Our Board of Directors is elected for two-year terms with four (4) members elected in even years and five (5) members elected in odd years. Being an odd year, 5 positions are now up for re-election. The Nominating Committee met recently and selected the following slate of officers:

The actual election process occurs at the swim banquet. Each swimming family is allowed one vote/ballot and the results will be announced in the next newsletter. So be sure to attend the banquet and cast your vote!

We were able to secure a limited number of rooms (primarily for the swimmers) at the Shoney Inn, in San Marcos. Parents are welcome to make reservations at that hotel (the reservation number is 512-754-8899) or at any of the other area hotels (there is a La Quinta, Holiday Inn and Best Western in the same area). More information regarding the specifics of the trip will be out soon, but for now reserve those dates for the team trip.

You may also call Stuart with any questions at 214-564-3165 (before 9:00 pm, please.) Reservations are due by Friday, April 20, 2001.

Attention Highland Park Parents: We have reservations for very few of your swimmers. Please don't wait, as the banquet is filling up fast.

Don't get left out. Send your reservations in now! If you prefer, you may also drop your form off at the pool where your swimmer works out.

This year’s long-course TAGS meet is scheduled for July 25th – 29th at the Woodlands swim center, just northwest of Houston, Texas. There are a number of room reservations that we have blocked off for the team. Each reservation has different cut-off dates in order to reserve under the team block so pay attention to those details when reserving. Also, prices quoted do not include tax, which will be added to your bill.

The Woodlands Resort - Many parents are interested in staying at The Woodlands Resort, which is within walking distance of the pool. We have 10 rooms (king bed or two doubles) reserved at $99 per night. There is also an option of a junior suite at $129. We have been assured that even if that number of rooms has been filled, the resort will continue booking UNTIL JUNE 25^TH. The block reservation is under "The Dallas Mustangs Swim Team" and the reservation number is 281-367-1100. If you should have problems with this, please ask for Jody Sanders at 281-364-6244. (Judi Shipp is the chairperson on our team that made the arrangements with Jody).

La Quinta - We have 10 rooms at this hotel; double beds, includes a full continental breakfast; $52/night; the reservation number is 281-367-7722; block reservation name under Dallas Mustangs Swim Team; reservations must be made by July 15th.

Comfort Suites - Brand new suites; about 10 minutes from pool; we have 8 suites with double beds reserved; includes small refrigerator, microwave; $59/night; reservation number is 936-273-1500; block reservation name under Dallas Mustangs Swim Team; reservations must be made by July 8th.

The team garage sale is officially scheduled for Sunday, April 29th from 8am to 5pm in the Loos parking lot. This is a change from the original schedule. Any donated items for the sale may be brought to Loos on Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 6:30-8:00pm, starting April 17th (this includes larger items such as bikes etc.). Please watch for further information in the next week. Volunteers to help on April 29th should be there by 8am. Any questions regarding the garage sale can be directed to Lance Keller (972-306-8008).

The Swim-a-Thon Awards Party is coming up. Mark your calendars for Monday, April 23rd at Loos at 6:30PM (time corrected from email that was sent out – if you want to workout before the party, be at Loos by 5:30pm; there will not be any workouts at SMU; CFB will have regular workouts). Everyone is invited. We will present awards to those who met and exceeded the goals and award prizes to the top money raisers! How did you do? In addition, we will have drawings for everyone who participated in the Swim-a-Thon and turned in the money they raised. If you have any questions, please ask your coach or give Tom Hendricks a call at (972) 407-1048.

See you at Loos!

Highland Park Pool continues to be renovated and we are going to continue to practice at SMU until further notice. We appreciate everyone’s patience with the scheduling changes. There is a revision to the current schedule for HP swimmers; Bronze will practice from 6:15 – 7:15 pm at SMU and Silver and Gold from 7 – 8:30 pm at SMU. This revised schedule will start April 31st and will run through the end of May. As always you are encouraged to check the team swim line (972-889-SWIM) for any changes, especially if your swimmer does not attend on a regular basis.

May 11th – 13th - 20th Annual Mustang Classic "A" Invitational

Sunday, April 29th 8am-5pm – Team Garage Sale at Loos

Monday, April 23rd 6:30-7:30pm – Swim-a-Thon party at Loos

May 6th 6pm – Team Banquet at SMU

June 28th – 31st – Team Trip to New Braunfels