By Mike Zummo
Freshman Thomas Lazatin was part of three winning events as the Valley Central Vikings opened the 2024-25 season with a 110-71 loss to the Warwick Wildcats on Dec. 3 at Valley Central High School.
Lazatin won the 200-yard freestyle and the 100-yard freestyle with respective times of 2:07.54 and 56.69 seconds. Both were personal bests. He also was on the Vikings’ winning 200-yard freestyle relay with Jesus Perdomo, Nathanael Gourdet and Lucas Daubel.
Erik Frankl won the 200-individual medley with a Section 9 qualifying time of 2:20.01. It was also a personal best. He also won the 100-yard breaststroke with a personal best time of 1:14.96.
Daniel Osekavage won the 100-yard butterfly with a Section 9 qualifying time of 59.60 seconds.
Lazatin, Frankl and Osekavage are three key returners to a Vikings’ team that finished 14th at the Section 9 championships last year.
“We would like to qualify Dan Osekavage, Erik Frankl and Thomas Lazatin in as many events as possible, and also help Lucas Daubel and Nathanael Gourdet qualify for the first time to the Section 9 championships,” Valley Central coach Thomas Plitsch said.
Plitsch said Osekavage has an opportunity to qualify for the state championships if he continues his upward trend in the 100-yard butterfly. He’s currently about six seconds off the state standard.
They’ve lost Adam Elkashef, Lucas Dunn, Dardan Cenalia, Caleb Sahlstrom, Noah Storaska and A.J. Ronaldson. The Vikings also return Daubel and Gourdet.
Taggart Williamson, Perdomo, Miguel Rosado and Adrian Rodriguez Rivera are new to the team this year.
The Vikings are looking to improve on their times and qualify as many athletes for the section 9 championships as possible as they rebuild with a younger core of athletes.
The Vikings finished the week with an 86-77 win over the Goshen Gladiators.
“This is a great group of athletes, who thus far seem motivated to train and get better,” Plitsch said. “They are excited for the opportunities in front of them. We know that our team is not the most talented in the section, but we are driven to be the best we can be. I am excited to be back again with the group and I look forward to what they will do this season.”
Warwick 110, Valley Central 71
200-yard medley relay: 1. Warwick (Connor Holland, Alex Xin, Kyle Gluckstein, Quinn Nowakowski) - 1:56.03; 2. Valley Central (Taggart Williamson, Erik Frankl, Daniel Osekavage, Lucas Daubel) - 1:57.57; 4. Valley Central (Jacob Thornton, Jesus Perdomo, Nathanael Gourdet) - 2:21.54.
200-yard freestyle: 1. Thomas Lazatin (VC) - 2:07.54; 5. Ethan Johnson (VC) - 2:58.54.
200-yard individual medley: 1. Erik Frankl (VC) - 2:20.01; 4. Taggart Williamson (VC) - 2:37.76.
50-yard freestyle: 1. Connor Hollan (W) - 23.25; 2. Lucas Daubel (VC) - 25.77; 4. Nathanael Gourdet (VC) - 26.90; 5. Jesus Perdomo (VC) - 27.62.
Diving: 1. Drew Voloshin (W) - 289.75.
100-yard butterfly: 1. Daniel Osekavage (VC) - 59.60.
100-yard freestyle: 1. Thomas Lazatin (VC) _ 56.69; 4. Nathanael Gourdet (VC) - 1:04.59; 5. Jesus Perdomo (VC) - 1:05.18.
500-yard freestyle: 1. Kaden Nagel (W) - 6:12.97; 3. Lucas Daubel (VC) - 6:30.65.
200-yard medley relay: 1. Valley Central (Thomas Lazatin, Jesus Perdomo, Nathanael Gourdet, Lucas Daubel) - 1:46.80; 5. Valley Central (Erik Frankl, Jacob Thornton, Timothy Drake, Miguel Rosado) - 2:06.38.
100-yard backstroke: 1. Connor Holland (W) - 55.87; 2. Daniel Osekavage (VC) - 1:05.79; 3. Taggart Williamson (VC) - 1:13.02; 5. Ethan Johnson (VC) - 1:16.38.
100-yard breaststroke: 1. Erik Frankl (VC) - 1:14.96; 5. Timothy Drake (VC) - 1:50.31.
400-yard freestyle: 1. Warwick (Danny Oppmann, Mark Wishnia, Kaden Nagel, Connor Holland) - 4:01.35; 4. Valley Central (Daniel Osekavage, Ethan Johnson, Taggart Williamson, Thomas Lazatin) - 4:06.85