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Antonian swimming coach Scott Watson said sophomore Ben Stiles is one of those athletes that coaches dream of coaching. Stiles, Watson said, is unassuming. He has a tireless work ethic, and is always seeking to improve.
“That is Ben’s attitude — I can always get better,” Watson said.
Which makes what transpired at Saturday’s TAPPS Division I state swimming championships at Davis Natatorium all the more encouraging.
Stiles was second in the 100-yard breaststroke in 1 minutes, 1.96 seconds, finishing only .83 seconds behind first-place Emmanuel Escarcega of El Paso Cathedral.
“I thought I could’ve gone faster,” said Stiles, who was awarded his medal by former Churchill standout and U.S. Olympian Josh Davis, the venue’s namesake. “It’s always a possibility. (Finishing second is) a starting point for next year.”
On a day when schools from Houston and Dallas ruled the pool, area athletes found earning a spot on top of the awards podium hard to come by. Stiles was one of two area participants to buck that trend.
Incarnate Word sophomore Olivia Croley captured bronze in the 50 freestyle. She finished in a personal-best 24.68, missing out on a silver by .30 seconds. Croley was fifth in the event a year ago, falling short of earning a bronze by only .26 seconds. This time, she got herself a medal.
“It was just a really good feeling,” Croley said. “It was a lot of pressure on me. I really wanted to place. I just thought about going fast. When I finished, I look at my time, then I looked at my teammates cheering for me. All the hard work paid off.”
The hard work also paid off for Stiles, who had a strong start in the 100 breaststroke but was barely edged out down the stretch by Escarcega.
“I tell them that they work so hard during the season that they need to enjoy their final races,” Watson said. “This is the culmination of all their hard work and it needs to be fun. Ben got out there and he swam his heart out, and I’m so proud of him. “
Cathedral captured the team title on the boys side, compiling 220 points. Addison Trinity Christian (118) was second and Tomball Concordia Lutheran (109) was third. Houston St. Agnes won the girls division with 236 points. Dallas Ursuline (178) was second and Dallas Bishop Lynch was third (91).
tthomas@express-news.net
Twitter: @en_terrence
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