AOTW: Pooling his talents: Rochester’s Carl making quick strides
TICKET TO GLIDE: Rochester High's Jacob Carl pushes himself to the limit in the 500 freestyle at the Division 1 state finals.The sophomore placed in the top eight for the second straight season. Staff Photo | Dan Stickradt
BY DAN STICKRADT
SENIOR EDITOR
dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com
ROCHESTER HILLS — Jacob Carl came into Rochester High as a highly-touted freshman who didn’t know how difficult swimming at high age levels can be. The sophomore now has a better understanding and is thinking big for the future.
He has dipped his feet into being an all-state swimmer now two times and his high school career is far from over.
This season, Karl finished seventh in the 500 freestyle (4:44.43) in the fast heat of Saturday’s Division 1 state finals at Oakland University. He also just missed reaching the top 16 medals stand in the 200 free, finishing 18th (1:46.32).
Carl, who scored all of Rochester’s state meet points this season — the Falcons finished 27th with 12 points — is thinking big for his upcoming club season with the North Oakland Waves, plus his final two seasons of high school swimming.
“This helps me understand how swimming actually works, and how hard it is to place in the top eight at (the state finals),” said Carl, who is on course to become a rare four-time state placer. “I try very hard.”
Carl was quick to thank Rochester’s upperclassmen and team captains at Rochester High for pushing Carl to success during his first two years of high school swimming.
“He’s a talented young kid,” said Paul Karas, Rochester’s first-year head coach of Carl. “He is going to be a good one as long as he works hard. He beat some kids (at the state meet) this year that beat him already this year. That’s good mentality to have — beat kids that beat him. He can take that (edge) into next year.”
As a freshman in 2009-10, Carl made a debut as one of the Falcons’ top swimmers. Competing in multiple events through the campaign, he began to shine in particular in the 200 and 500 freestyles. He ended up sixth in the state in the 500 free (4:47.79) with one of the best-ever efforts in school history in the event and the freshman school mark.
Rochester grad Nick Evans, now at Oakland after competing for a season at Maryland, is the overall school record holder in the 500 free and a swimmer that Carl hopes to emulate in the future. Evans, a three-time state qualifier, was the 2009 state champion in the 500 free as a senior with a 4:31.27 effort.
“My goal As a senior is to break the record which was set by my old teammate, Nick Evans,” beamed Carl, who used to swim at the club level with Evans a couple of years ago.
“I have a long way to go,” added Carl. “I know the guys that win it every year usually go down in the low 4:30s. I have a lot of work to do, but I understand what it takes to get there.”
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Category: BWW Athlete of the Week, High School, Prep Wraps, Rochester
