Oakwood freshman Tristan Prizler has the top time in the endurance-testing 500-yard freestyle event with a personal best time of 4:47.26 this season.
With the sectional swim meet getting underway this weekend, the two will be put to the test with a district berth on the line. The boys D-I swimmers are first up with sectional competition getting underway at seven Southwest District sites Friday with the D-I and D-II girls swimming on Saturday and D-II boys and rest of the D-II girls wrapping up the three-day meet on Sunday.
Brunsky has his sights set on a third trip to state. He qualified as part of the Aviators 200-yard freestyle relay team as a freshman and competed in both the 50 and 100-yard events last year – finishing seventh and fourth, respectively.
“I want to win state this year,” he said.
The Miami Valley League Athlete of the Year in swimming knows, however, that there is little room for error in the sprint events.
“I like being able to move fast and get it over with but, if you make a mistake in the 50, you’re toast,” Brunsky said.
The 10-lap 500-freestyle event is a bit more forgiving when it comes to flip turns, but strategy is crucial.
“The first 100 is a lot of adrenaline and then I try to maintain a steady time in the second and third 100s,” Prizler said. “The last 100, I pick it up and, in the last 50, I really bring it. I leave it all in the pool.”
In a season that has been anything but typical, both swimmers have found normalcy in the familiar confines of the pool.
“There is more of a routine now,” Brunsky said. “It feels normal when I’m in the pool.”
Brunsky and Prizler are not the only Miami Valley swimmers sitting atop the statewide honor roll. Springboro senior Hannah Hill leads the D-I girls field in the 50-yard freestyle with a time of 23.31 and Oakwood junior Sam Campbell currently has the fastest time in the 100-yard backstroke (52.25) among D-II boys.