Elliott, Kuriger display dogged determination
There are banners in the Upper Arlington natatorium of senior girls swimmers gripping their goggles with intensity and wearing expressions as if they are ready to take on all comers.
“We wanted to look serious,” Dakota Elliott said.
In this case, pictures don’t lie. Coach Dan Peterkoski said the tough girl inside Elliott does come out before an important race.
“Dakota is probably one of the best — if not the best — competitors we’ve ever had here,” Peterkoski said. “When she gets on the blocks, she has something that most kids don’t have. She loves to race. There is a difference between people who love to win and hate to lose, and Dakota hates to lose. She has that fire.”
Elliott, a senior bound for the University of Pittsburgh, will attempt to win a second straight 200-yard individual medley championship and swim the 500-yard free freestyle and a leg of the 400 freestyle relay at the Division I state meet Saturday at Branin Natatorium in Canton.
On the boys side, senior Ben Kuriger of Olentangy will display that same drive when he competes in the 200 freestyle and 100 butterfly. He won district championships in each event and is seeded second.
“You don’t want to say, ‘What if I had done this? What if I had done that?’ ” Kuriger said. “It’s almost an addiction that I have to go faster. I’m excited for this meet, to say the least. This is what I’ve been working toward since August.”
The Division II meet, in which the Columbus School for Girls will attempt to finish runner-up a third time in four seasons to powerful Gates Mills Hawken, is Friday night.
The week begins at 9 a.m. Wednesday with Division II girls diving and at 2 p.m. with Division II boys diving.
There’s no question in Elliott’s mind that being on three state championship teams molded her into a racing demon. In 2017, Elliott was stout at the state meet in winning the 200 IM in 2 minutes, 57-hundreths of a second, finishing sixth in the 100 breaststroke and swimming legs on the winning medley and 400 freestyle relays.
“I’ve had years of experience doing this and I know how to deal with the situation — dealing with my nerves better — in order to go faster,” she said. “There is a difference between going fast and knowing how to race. I don’t want anybody to beat me. I say, ‘Whatever it takes, I’m going to get it done.’ There are other competitors who are just as good, and in the end it comes down to wanting it more.”
Kuriger was set to have a bang-up state meet last season, but contracted the flu before the district meet and lost 11 pounds. In Canton, he finished third in the butterfly and eighth in the 200 freestyle.
“My times at district last week were OK, but not great,” he said. “I was fine-tuning. I’m getting faster. I’m preparing my body the best that I can for this meet.”
Kuriger has been an outstanding performer for years, but upped his game after signing with Ohio State in the fall.
“When I committed to Ohio State, I came back to practice much hungrier,” he said. “I felt the energy at Ohio State about building momentum and wanting to go faster and faster. I’ve always set loftier goals and trying to re-invent myself. It’s a hunger that can’t be satisfied.”
Olentangy coach Dan Harris sees that hunger.
“Ben could have signed and said, ‘I’m all set and I can go along for the ride,’ ” he said. “But Ben loves to race and loves to compete, and he’s such a great teammate. He is dedicated to honing his craft in the pool and in the weight room. Ben is living this.”