Disosway set new school record in 100 breaststroke, qualified for state; plus 2 more make the all-area team
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Columbia’s Ian Disosway is the LCR’s Boys Swimmer of the Year. (MANDI SLOAN/Special to the Reporter)
A record that’s stood for 11 years at Columbia fell this season.
Ian Disosway swam a 1:04.47 in the 100 breaststroke in September to break David Morse’s program mark of 1:04.74. It was only a sign of things to come for the sophomore swimmer.
Disosway would eventually shatter his own record. He set a new time just two weeks later with a 1:02.15 and then broke the mark again at the Region 1-3A meet with a 1:01.76.
That was good enough for Disosway to qualify for the state meet. It’s also a record he’s likely to break a few more times before he’s done at Columbia, and that may not be the only one.
In the meantime, he’ll gladly settle for the honor of Lake City Reporter Boys Swimmer of the Year.
“I could possibly break every single record next year,” Disosway said. “That’s what I’m aiming for, and I think my breaststroke for sure is going to get under a minute. Recently I swam 1:00.70, so I’m trying to get it under a minute in a month. So I think 58 or 57 is not far away. Probably at state next year I’ll go that time.”
Disosway is confident and for good reason. His coach exudes that confidence in his top swimmer as well.
In fact, if there had been betting odds on Disosway making it to state this year, Columbia coach Shawn Rost would have put money down on it in August. Disosway nearly broke Morse’s record at the Purple & Gold preseason meet, and that’s when Rost started planning for a state trip.
“I had never seen anybody swim under a 1:05,” Rost said. “He didn’t swim that last year and he came in his first meet this year and swam a 1:04. And right when he swam the 1:04 in the Purple & Gold meet I started looking at him being really competitive toward state. We talked about him going to state when we first started coaching this season. In the back of my mind, if I was betting man, I would’ve already booked the hotel and gotten ready to go to states. The kid is just dynamic.”
The first major step toward state was at the District 2-3A meet. Disosway didn’t break his own record that day but he was close. He was also close to a district title.
A strong swim in the 100 breaststroke resulted in a silver medal thanks to a time of 1:03.07, only behind a stellar time of 59.85 from Gainesville’s Michael Mullen. Disosway also took bronze in the 200 IM, swimming a 2:09.65 to qualify for regionals in a second event.
“It was a pretty good meet overall,” Disosway said. “I was proud of my 100 breaststroke swim. I was behind this really fast kid. He went like 58. It was crazy.”
Disosway’s new school record at the Region 1-3A meet was good enough for seventh in a stack field of swimmers. He had to wait to hear if he’d receive an at-large berth at state but he said he was never worried.
He knew his 1:01.76 was good enough. It was a time Rost called the best swim he’s seen since taking over at Columbia.
“He swam the lights out at regionals,” Rost said. “When his time went up on the scoreboard at 1:01 I was amazed. I thought he’d go 1:03, 1:02. We talked a little bit about it and I said ‘maybe you can go 1:01.’ We talked about his mid-split and he swam the exact split we talked about and he swam a 1:01, which is amazing.”
State didn’t go quite as planned for Disosway. He was hoping to build upon his regional time and keep it dropping, but instead finished his breaststroke in 1:02.05 to place 19th at the Class 3A meet.
With the event scheduled for late in the day, Disosway says he made the mistake of prepping for too long and he tired himself out a little as a result.
“I wasn’t really happy because I swam a 1:02 and I added time,” Disosway said. “I warmed up a really long time before the race and that was probably not the best idea because I got my arms sore. I warmed up for like an hour. I was feeling good but it was the last bit of the 100 breaststroke that kind of fell apart. I wasn’t really that happy with it.”
But it’s a performance that’s motivated him for next season. Disosway doesn’t just plan on getting back to state next season — his goal is to make it to the medal stand.
If all goes according to his plan, he’ll be under a minute by next fall. That would’ve been good enough to finish in the top seven this year.
“For sure make a final, maybe get top 3 possibly,” Disosway said of his goal next season. “I’m still not sure. I’ve been improving a lot recently so it might plateau a little bit but that’s getting my hopes up.”
Nothing wrong with that. His coach has high hopes for him too.
He’s probably already betting on a medal-stand finish next season.
“I honestly think he can go down to a 56, 57 (seconds) with his work ethic, which would be extremely fast,” Rost said. “I don’t think that (school) record will ever be broken. I don’t even think the record he set is going to be broken, but I think he’s going to continue to strive for 57, 58 which is where the top swimmers at state were at.”
ALL-AREA TEAM
Ian Disosway
Columbia, freshman
The LCR’s Boys Swimmer of the Year was the area’s lone state qualifier, placing 19th in Class 3A in the 100 breaststroke with a time of 1:02.05 after placing seventh in Region 1-3A (1:01.76) and second in District 2-3A (1:03.07). His regional time set a new school record in the event. In addition to the breaststroke, Disosway also qualified for regionals in the 200 IM and placed 13th (2:07.46) after finishing third at districts (2:09.65). He also swam the 200 medley relay at districts (sixth, 2:04.72) and 200 freestyle relay (sixth, 1:47.98).
Cade Cannon
Suwannee, sophomore
Qualified for regionals individually in the 500 freestyle, placing 10th in Region 1-2A (6:01.51) after finishing third in District 3-2A (5:59.52). Cannon also swam the 200 medley relay (eighth, 2:19.55), and 200 freestyle relay (ninth, 1:54.73) at districts.
Daniel Peterson
Suwannee, junior
Qualified for regionals individually in the 500 freestyle, placing 14th (6:09.77) after finishing 10th in District 3-2A (6:27.47). Peterson also swam the 200 freestyle (11th, 2:27.27), 200 medley relay (eighth, 2:19.55), and 200 freestyle relay (ninth, 1:54.73) at districts.
COACH OF THE YEAR
Shawn Rost, Columbia
Guided the lone swimmer in the area to the state meet. Ian Disosway placed 19th in Class 3A in the 100 breaststroke after taking second at districts and seventh at regionals. That wasn’t his only event, as Disosway also advanced to regionals in the 200 IM after finishing third at districts. For the girls, Rost saw his 200 medley relay team qualify to regionals as well thanks to a fourth-place finish at districts. His Columbia squads also topped Suwannee by combined team scores twice this season.