Craig @ Menomonee Falls Invite

After the big win the night before, the Cougars had a renewed sense of confidence competing in the Menomonee Falls Invite. The team placed 3rd out of 11 teams, finishing only 7 points behind second and only 15 points behind champion and host Menomonee Falls/Germantown/Hamilton. The Cougars were paced by wins by Alex Loftus in the 200 IM and 100 Breast and by top finishes by Tyler Meinders (5th in the 50 Free and 6th in the 100 Free), Jimmy Loftus (5th in the 500 Free) and Nick Krueger (7th in the 100 Back). Many swimmers swam career-best times. Afterwards, the team continued their tradition of eating at the delicious Cheesecake Factory at Bayshore Mall.

Alex Loftus

Tyler Meinders

Nick Krueger

Craig vs Parker & Memorial

In what is described as every Craig swimmer's 'second most important meet of the season', the Cougars had some history to make when swimming against cross-town rival Janesville Parker and state power Madison Memorial. The Cougars lost to Memorial 131-39 but beat Parker 103-67. The win continues the streak of 11 consecutive victories against Parker and sent the Seniors away undefeated in their high school careers. Against Parker, victories included: Alex Loftus in the 100 Free and 100 Breast, Jimmy Loftus in the 500 Free and Nick Krueger in the 100 Back. The 200 Medley Relay and 200 Free Relays also beat Parker's. Congratulations to the seniors and the team on this historic win!

Alex Loftus

Nick Krueger

Jimmy Loftus

Viewing & Ordering Meet Pictures

http://craigboysswim.shutterfly.com

Click on this Shutterfly link to see pictures from each meet. The site has been up and running since the 2008-2009 season and those photos are still available.

Each swim meet has 'an album' of its own. You can view each album as a slideshow, add comments to photos and you can select your favorite photos to order prints (in a variety of sizes mailed to you directly from Shutterfly. Create an account (fast & free) and follow the steps to order using a credit/debit card. You can even use your favorite photos to create a photo book, a calendar, cards and other photo gifts. Shutterfly makes it easy and once you're a customer, they will offer you GREAT discounts!

You may also choose to pick up your prints (and pay for them) at Target or Walgreens (within an hour). Target and Walgreens will only print 4x6 glossy prints.

ENJOY!

Craig @ Cardinal Relays

Swimming in the deepest relay meet in the state, the Cougars placed a very respectable 8th out of 15 teams. The team was lead by a sixth place finish in the 200 Free Relay (Tyler Meinders, Logan Lindau, Tad Martin and Alex Loftus), a 4th place finish by the 500 Crescendo Relay (Logan Lindau, Tyler Meinders, Jacob Canik, and Alex Loftus), a 5th place finish by the 100 Free Relay (Logan Lindau, Logan Bagley, John Casper and Zach Saltzman) and a 5th place finish by the 400 Free Relay (Tyler Meinders, Tad Martin, Jacob Canik and Alex Loftus). The team showed they could compete with some of the best talent in the state.

Craig @ Madison West

Despite some great swims, the Cougars lost to conference power Madison West 127-43. The team managed many second and third place finishes against the talented West squad.

Craig vs Beloit & Middleton

In the first home meet in almost a month, the Cougars split a triple dual. They beat Beloit Memorial 135-35 and lost to Middleton by a respectable score of 99-71. Alex Loftus won the 200 IM and 100 Breaststroke, Tyler Meinders won the 50 Free and 100 Free and the 200 Free Relay team of Meinders, Jacob Canik, Tad Martin and Alex Loftus were also victorious. The Cougars are now 4-2 in the Big Eight Conference.

Rock County Challenge

The Cougars were finally back competing after a long winter break. In the 1st Annual Rock County Championships, the team won with 424 points, followed by Milton with 407, Janesville Parker with 287 and Beloit Memorial with 182. Individual event winners were: Tyler Meinders in the 100 Free and Jimmy Loftus in the 500 Free. By winning the meet, the Cougars now possess the traveling trophy known as "A piece of the Rock". Great meet guys!

Jimmy Loftus

Craig & Parker Alumni Meet

Craig and Parker alums met at the Parker High School pool on the day after Christmas for the annual Alumni Meet. Host Eric Rhodes explained the proceedings, 'High school swimmers, you know the rules. Alums have no rules.' It was great to see a number of former swimmers and be reminded of their athletic talents and their great personalities. The event was topped off by a visit from two very special swim fans, none other than Santa and Mrs. Claus!

Happy Holidays!

Craig @ Elkhorn Invitational

The team was highly motivated at the 2010 Elkhorn Invitational. Swimming in meters (rather than yards), the team was prepared to swim fast, both as individuals and as a team. Craig's highest place winners were: Jacob Canik (5th in the 200m Free), Alex Loftus (2nd in the 200m IM and winner of the 100m Breaststroke), Tyler Meinders (4th in the 50m Free and 4th in the 100m Free), Troy Thornton (7th in the 100m Butterfly), Jimmy Loftus (5th in the 400m Free), Nick Krueger (7th in the 100m Backstroke), the 2nd place 200 Medley Relay team (Nick Krueger, Alex Loftus, Troy Thornton and Tyler Meinders) and the 2nd place 200 Free Relay team (Tyler Meinders, Jacob Canik, Tad Martin, and Alex Loftus.) The Cougars placed 3rd out of 11 teams overall. Congrats on another great meet!!!

Craig @ Sun Prairie

The Cougars got their very first look at the brand new Sun Prairie High School pool and found it to their liking! The team beat Sun Prairie for the first time ever, 109-61. Highlights included: 1st place finishes by Alex Loftus in the 200 IM (2:02.31) and 100 Breaststroke (1:01.85), Tyler Meinders in the 50 Free (23.73) and 100 Free (53.12) , Brian Paulos in the 100 Butterfly (1:03.83) and Nick Krueger in the 100 Back (1:03.38). Also, Zach Saltzman lettered for the first time (in the 100 Butterfly- 1:06.53!!! Congrats Zach!). The facility was amazing, the times were fast and the team left with a win!

Parker Invitational

The Cougars were at it again, competing in the Janesville Parker Relays. The team placed a very respectable 4th out of 11 teams. Craig medaled in 7 events including: 3rd place finishes in the 200 Free Relay (1:40.57) and the 500 Crescendo Relay (4:36.70) and a 2nd place finish in the 200 Medley Relay (1:47.49).

Craig @ LaFollette & Madison East

Swimming in their first triple-dual meet of the season, the Cougars came out on top- twice!

They beat Madison East 122-48 and Madison La Follette 128-42. Craig won 10 out of 11 events.

Event winners included: Jacob Canik (200 Free), Alex Loftus (200 IM and 100 Breast), Tyler Meinders (50 Free and 100 Free), Troy Thornton (100 Fly) and Jimmy Loftus (500 Free). The team also won all three relays.

Congratulations on your first triple-dual win!

Cougar Relays

In the 12^th Annual Cougar Relays, the host Cougars squad turned in one of its best performances EVER! The team placed second behind Division 2 powerhouse Monona Grove, placing runner-up by only a 24-point margin. The team was paced by wins and meet records by the 200 Freestyle Relay (1:35.00) and the 500 Crescendo Relay (4:38.50). Craig also had three second place relays and three third place relays. Nice job boys!

Craig vs Verona/Mt Horub

Swimming against a tough Verona/Mt. Horeb team, the Cougars held strong and turned in a great performance. The Cougars were led by great times in the 200 Medley Relay (1:45.51), the 400 Free Relay (3:40.60) and with wins by Alex Loftus in the 200 IM (2:01.55) and the 100 Breaststroke (1:01.29).

Scrimmage @ Parker

The 2010-2011 swim season got underway with a scrimmage against Milton and Janesville Parker. The meet was a great indicator of who worked hard during the off-season. It was an exciting meet and it gave us an early preview of our rival, Janesville Parker.