The winter season has officially come to a close. There were quite a few athletes who competed at the state-wide level, namely for indoor track and field and highlighted by state and federations titles from Newfield’s Maddie White in the racewalk. But there were two other Tompkins County athletes who took part at states earlier this month in the pool and on the lanes.
Koen Anderson swims to success
Competing on the big stage is nothing new for Ithaca’s Koen Anderson. In fact, this year marked his fourth straight trip to Ithaca College to the boys swimming and diving state championships. The senior saved his best performances at the Kelsey Partridge Bird Natatorium for last. He finished in sixth place in the 500-yard freestyle with a time of 4:35.84 and placed 11th in the 200-yard freestyle with a mark of 1:42.34, setting personal records in both events.
“I’m glad with how it went,” Anderson said. “I feel like it’s a good way to close out my high school. I got a lot more to come, but I’m proud of what I did this year. I think there’s still room to grow, but I did everything I could in the four years I’ve been here.”
While there’s always a sense of nerves when competing on the biggest of stages, Anderson kept a positive mindset entering his swan song at states.
“It came down to trusting that I was ready to be there and I was ready to race to that level,” Anderson said. “I’ve done it before, and I think that I really was in the mindset of, going to get after it and doing my best no matter what, and wherever I fall in the rankings after that is what’s going to happen, and there’s nothing I can do about it. There’s no point in worrying about other people or worrying about where I was at compared to those people.”
While swimming is very much a physical sport, it’s the mental side of things where Anderson feels he’s grown the most throughout his four years on the Little Red.
“When I first started high school, I was constantly worried about whether I was in the right shape to race,” Anderson said. “Four years later, I know that by the time that season comes around—end of February, early March, championship season—I’m ready to go. I’m ready to get after it. I’m ready to race.”
Luckily the state meet won’t be the last time Anderson swims competitively. He will take his talents to Williams College in Massachusetts next year to swim at the Division III level.
Madelyn Pitts rolls her way to states
It was a historic day at the AMF Syracuse Lanes for Madelyn Pitts on March 14. The junior became the first-ever bowler from Groton (boy or girl) to bowl at the state championships. Pitts was part of the Division II girls individual tournament, where she finished in 28th place out of 55 bowlers.
“It was amazing,” Pitts said. “I enjoyed every second of it. At the beginning of the year knowing [if I were] to go to states, I would have to do it as an individual. I worked hard. Walking in that bowling alley, it’s overwhelming. There were so many people there, but there were also so many good bowlers. I was with my people… I talked to a few of them. We talked [about] lane strategies. It was definitely a really fun experience, and something I’ll never forget.”
It’s no surprise to see Pitts shine given that she comes from a strong bowling family. Her great-grandparents owned a bowling alley in Elmira. Her grandfather Chuck is one of the most well-known bowlers in the area. And her father David is in his first year coaching the Red Hawks. David felt Madelyn’s dedication to the sport helped her enjoy a monumental campaign.
“[It’s] a lot of knowledge along with her being a junior, maturity, having five years previous experience,” coach Pitts said. “It locked in for her, and it kind of clicked, ‘I can pile strikes. I can make a better percentage of my spares and these scores are going to equal something great at the end of the season,’ which it did.”
Pitts is the oldest bowler on this year’s team as the lone junior while the other six bowlers are freshmen or younger. With everybody returning next season, not only do the Red Hawks hope more bowlers can soar to similar heights, Pitts is aiming for even better performance in Syracuse come next March.
“I’m definitely excited for next year,” Madelyn Pitts said. “It’s gonna be in the blink of an eye. November comes pretty quickly around here, and it’s just gonna be to do it over again. Time. Dedication. Know what I did last year and change some things that I know and don’t make the same mistakes. Learn from my lessons. I know top 10 [at states] is definitely the goal for next year.”
