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Show Utah's defending conference swim champions were hit and hit hard by losses. Coach Carlston's perennially-powerful tank-sters started the season with nothing in their favor and lack of depth and experience definitely against them. And the loss of such stars as Roswell Seare and Horace Knowlton showed up when the Utes dropped to fourth place in the conference meet at Brigham City, Utah. It was a sad one to lose for Carlston, who has perennially turned out swimming powerhouses at the Redskin school. When the season opened, Carlston tried to fill the spots of record-shattering Seares and Knowlton by using mainly freshman and sophomore material. Such men as Jerry Barnes, Ronald Tronier, Jim Dunn, and Van DeOgden joined veterans Spike Conely and Billy Wagner in carrying the main hopes for a top season. Conely had swum on a championship relay team during the 1953 season, while Wagner had also placed high in the conference. Other veterans included Jack Koybayashi and Keith Thompson in diving and Van DeOgden in the breaststroke.The Utes' first, and what proved to be their only dual meet ended in a 44-40 set-back at the hands of Montana. It marked the first time in seven years that a Carlston-coached Redskin team had lost a dual meet. Although the Utes won four of the nine events, it was lack of depth that made the difference. Individual winners were Bill Wagner, Keith Thompson, Van DeOgden, and a relay team comprised of Jerry Barnes, Spike Conely, and Van DeOgden. The conference meet, too, proved disastrous for the defending champs, as they dropped to fourth place. Only four Utah men placed, and a relay team consisting of Jerry Barnes, Van DeOgden, and Bill Wagner brought home the Utes' only first place blue ribbon. In addition to these three men placing in other events, Keith Thompson took fourth in diving.Keith Thompson makes like a bird as he heads for the deep after executing one of the dives that gave him a first-place ribbon in this match and fourth place in the conference meet.'They're off," and four paddlers, with a variety of form, leap for the water.Utah and Montana tankmen churn up white water. It was form like this that gave Coach Pete Carlston's swimmers conference crowns the last two years. Lack of veterans sadly narrowed the ranks of the team, however, and they ended in fourth place in the conference meet.185 |
