Brookfield Barracudas Win Conference Relays, Break Record

Sam Kult, Opinions Editor|December 18, 2017

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Brett Gruetzmacher

The red group takes a photo break after a painful freestyle set. Top row, from left to right: Sam Kult (‘18), Kyle Lee (‘20), Ryan Linnihan (‘18), Michael Linnihan (‘20), Brian Daniels (‘19), Will Grintjes (‘18), Sam Delgadillo (‘21), Mason Kelsey (‘21). Bottom row: Nick Elwing (‘20), Eric Chen (‘18), AJ Smith (‘20), Ido Korabelnikov (‘20), Nico Sutilovic (‘18), Ben Schroeder (‘20), and William Pan (‘18).

The Brookfield Barracudas won the Conference Relay Meet on Dec. 9 for the first time in 21 years. A sort of unorthodox competition, it does not involve any individual events, but rather various relays, including some that are not usually swum at normal meets. As a result, this meet is seen by many on the team to be one of the most fun competitions of the season.

“I love this meet every year,” said Eric Chen (‘18). “Since it consists of only relays, it really brings out the camaraderie and team spirit of the Barracudas that might not be so evident in other competitions.”

It was a close meet against formidable teams like Arrowhead and Waukesha South, who won the State Championships last year. However, the Barracudas pulled through to secure a victory over them.

While Brookfield’s overall success is not to be understated, a lesser-known milestone was reached in the 300 Breaststroke relay. The relay, consisting of Kyle Lee (‘20), Eric Chen (‘18), Will Grintjes (‘18), and Sam Kult (‘18), broke a longstanding record with a winning time of 3:01.52. The breaststrokers did not even known of the old time and their chance at beating it until shortly before the event.

“I realized [that we could break the record] when Sam told me it was a 3:02,” said Kyle Lee. “I knew that Sam and Will could go :59 in the 100 and that Eric and I could go at least a :31, which would be barely enough to get the record, so I was really hyped for that.”

When Grintjes, the anchor, finished, it even seemed like the relay had failed to beat the old time.

“When I saw the clock hit 3:02, I was really nervous,” said Lee. “But then I saw the clock go back to 3:01.52 and I knew that we broke the record.”

Whether it was winning the meet or breaking the breaststroke record, every Cuda was ecstatic by the meet’s end. “We were all cheering. [Grintjes] sauced,” said Lee.

The winning streak carried over to the Waukesha South dual meet on Dec. 14, with Brookfield edging out Waukesha by five points. Hopefully, the recent series of victories for the Barracudas will continue into the championship season.