Published: June 27, 2009 10:48 pm      

Lakers set records at Ponderosa swim meet

Huntsville relay team smashes 200 freestyle record by two seconds

In just the first day of the Ponderosa swim meet at Klein Collins High School in Klein on Saturday, the Huntsville Lakers have started to make a name for themselves.

With another full day to go in the meet, which features nearly 100 of the top swim teams from the Gulf Coast region, the Lakers not only have quite a few gold medals, but some records to go with it.

The Lakers’ 13- and 14-year-old relay team of Matthew Bitara, Colson Slaven, Jeremy Klespis and Kirby Logan broke the record for the 200-yard freestyle relay. The foursome completed the race in 1:38.16, breaking the record by more than two seconds.

Matthew Bitara also broke three individual records on the day. He set the record in the 50-yard backstroke with a time of 25.37, a record which stood for three years.

He then broke another record, the 50-yard freestyle by a slim margin. Bitara finished in a time of 23.19, breaking a record of 22.97, which stood since 2004. Slaven finished in third with a time of 23.8.

Then late Saturday night, Bitara completed the hat trick of individual records when he smashed the 2006 record in the 100-yard individual medley finishing in 56.24, more than two seconds faster than the previous recordholder.

The Lakers will conclude the meet today and look forward to bringing home several more gold medals and records.