Canfield duo chasing school records at Cleveland State

February 19, 2015 at 12:00a.m.

By Curtis Pulliam

Youngstown

Nine doesn’t seem like a larger number for a swim team but that’s all the Canfield boys swim team needed to win the Akron sectional on Feb. 14.

“Honestly, I was a little bit shocked because we dropped numbers this year,” said senior swimmer Kyle Anderson. “To have a team of nine to go up against a team with 18-20 guys on them, it’s amazing. I was star-struck.”

Anderson — one of only three seniors on this year’s Canfield boys team —won the 200 individual medley (2:01.52) and 500 freestyle (4:54.86) at sectionals.

“I want to break two minutes in the 200, that’s been my goal since the beginning of the year,” Anderson said.

He has one more entry on the “goal card” that Cardinals head coach Jane Heaven makes her swimmers do at the start of the season.

“I want to get the school record in the 500,” Anderson said. “I’m hoping I can accomplish both of those.”

The school record for the 500 free is 4:50.27 set by James Hunter in 2008.

Heaven was just as surprised as Anderson was with the boys’ performance at sectionals.

“It was a big moment,” Heaven said. “It’s exciting because they pull together and they do it.”

The boys compete at the Division II district Friday at Cleveland State University and Anderson isn’t worried about the others competing.

“I try not focus on them as much because I think if I get all those names in my head then I start to psych myself out,” Anderson said. “As long as I can go there and do my race and perform the best I can, I think that’s all I need to do.”

Sarah Heaven also looks to leave her mark in the Cardinals’ record book even more.

The senior went undefeated this regular season in the 100 backstroke and qualified 15th for the Division I districts on Saturday.

She’s the 26th seed in the 200 IM and is a member of the 200 medley relay team for the Cardinals.

“I like the routine of doing the medley and then the IM and having the nice break before my backstroke,” said Heaven, Jane’s daughter. “To me, the IM has helped my backstroke and backstrokes help my IM.”

Sarah says the relationship with her mother has been great this season.

“I’m so glad my mom took the job this year and I don’t know what I would do without her,” Heaven said. “Sometimes it gets annoying talking swimming at the dinner table, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Jane agreed.

“I wouldn’t trade it for the world,” she said.

Heaven is hoping for the best results Saturday at CSU, even though she isn’t 100 percent physically.

“I try not to focus on how bad my legs hurt,” Heaven said. “I just have to push past that and get to the wall fast.”

But the younger Heaven knows at this point of the year her motivation is still there.

“Just looking up at the scoreboard and seeing a good time,” Heaven said.

And although Heaven also used a “goal card” this season, she doesn’t have one for Saturday.

“I don’t want to have on goals on me for the meet to stress out about,” Heaven said. “So I am going to go in with a clear head and know that the training is there.”

Sarah’s best race is the backstroke. She holds the school record and has broken it four times since her freshman year.

But she knows the competition at districts is tough.

“They are people I have swam against since freshman year,” Sarah Heaven said. “We have become kind of friends/rivals. I know they are going to be coming for me or I’m going to be coming for them.”