Boardman's Bailey third in 100 butterfly

Staff report

CANTON

All season, Boardman junior Ryan Bailey has been able to get an early lead in the 100-yard butterfly.

At Saturday’s Division I state swimming meet, he couldn’t, and it proved to be the difference between gold and bronze.

Bailey placed third in the event with a time of 49.92, finishing behind Dublin Jerome senior Jake Moore (49.62) and Cincinnati St. Xavier junior Ian Wooley (49.74) at C.T. Branin Natatorium.

“He’s disappointed and we’re disappointed for him because he really had his heart set on winning,” said Boardman coach Terry O’Halloran. “He went out a little slow in his first 50 and his success has come from getting out in front of everybody through is underwater kicking and get into the quiet water.

“But he gave it his best shot. He’s a competitive kid and he’s not happy with the result but knowing Ryan, he’ll work hard and get ready for next year.”

Bailey swam a school-record time of 49.28 in Friday’s preliminaries thanks to a 22.54 opening split. (By contrast, Moore swam a 23.08 opening split Friday and finished in 49.69, while Wolley swam a 23.48-50.18.)

But he couldn’t quite match that time on Saturday.

“It was a really hard race for him,” O’Halloran said. “These are big boys in there and if you’re not used to swimming in all waves, it turns into something totally different.

“From a coaching perspective, it was something we didn’t expect.”

Bailey finished eighth in the 100 breaststroke in 58.81 and was also a member of the Spartans’ state-qualifying 200 medley relay, which finished 23rd after failing to advance out of Friday’s preliminaries.

Bailey finished fifth in the butterfly and 16th in the breaststroke at the 2011 state meet. He was trying to become the first Boardman swimmer to win a state title since Tyler O’Halloran (Terry’s son) won 50 and 100 free style crowns as a senior in 2003.

Still, Bailey finished the season with the fastest butterfly time in Division I — the 49.28 qualifies him for the USA Junior Nationals — and set two school records on Friday morning. A 4.0 student, Bailey is getting interest from several Division I and Ivy League schools.

“He’s a great kid and he’ll bounce back,” O’Halloran said. “He had a great season overall and he’ll learn from tonight.

“I told him it’s more about how you handle your adversity in life than your successes.”