By Chris Bennett
Sports Correspondent
The Burlington Combined boys’ swimming team is already improving on last season, and their year is but a few meets old.
The team won just two dual meets last season and finished sixth in the seven-team Southern Lakes Conference, which competes in a different configuration for swimming.
So far this season, the boys already bested last season’s Conference Relays finish and set a meet record. And the Demons are only at their third meet.
BC, which consists of Burlington, Waterford, Union Grove, Burlington Catholic Central and East Troy, swam Dec. 10 in a SLC dual against Whitewater at the Aurora Burlington Wellness Center, 300 McCanna Parkway in Burlington.
Coach Denita Jones is looking to a small core of returnees to lead the Demons this season. The Demons return no state qualifiers.
“We’ve got 16 swimmers,” Jones said. “It’s smaller than last year.”
David Jones, who specializes in the 500-yard freestyle and 100 breaststroke, Andrew Brutlag (200 individual medley, 100 breaststroke), Luke Herman (200 and 500 freestyles) and Bryce Filer (50 and 100 freestyles) are what Jones calls “our top four guys.”
Jones said Conner Krattiger (200 individual medley, 100 breaststroke) and Luke Piccione (200 and 500 freestyles) are also expected to be key contributors.
The Demons won two events Dec. 7 at the Cudahy Invitational. Herman, Filer, Brutlag and Jones set a meet record of 1 minute, 39.46 seconds in winning the 200-freestyle relay.
“It’s an exciting relay for us this year,” Jones said.
Herman won the 100 butterfly (1:01.42). The Demons and Racine Horlick tied for second at Cudahy. Fond du Lac won the meet.
Jones said the Demons third-place finish in the Conference Relays Dec. 5 at Jefferson High School is the team’s best finish at that meet in recent memory.
Jones, Brutlag, Filer and Herman won the 100 freestyle (47.79 seconds). Brutlag, Herman, Jones and Krattiger finished second in the 400 breaststroke relay (4:59.66).
The Demons finished third, and scored 179 points. Elkhorn won the meet for the fourth year in a row and scored 208 points. Lake Geneva finished second (209), Whitewater fourth (171), Platteville/Lancaster fifth (161), Delavan-Darien sixth (146) and Jefferson seventh (85).
Jones said the resurgent finish by the Demons at the conference relays buoys her hopes that BC will finish higher in the final conference standings.
“I am hoping to move up in the standing this year,” Jones said.
Burlington swims Saturday in the Milwaukee Riverside Invitational at Milwaukee Riverside High School.
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