Perry junior logs laudable triple vs. Chagrin

Hope Kitchen could hardly find the descriptors Jan. 8 after Perry’s dual against visiting Chagrin Falls.

“Yeah, I’m still kind of shaking right now,” Kitchen admitted.

Any swimmer with an exertion threshold would relate in the affirmative to that sentiment.

The host Pirates fell in a dual, 114-71, to the always formidable Tigers.

But Kitchen had an event regimen worth lauding.

The promising Perry junior, who had a breakout sophomore campaign in her signature event, the 100yard backstroke, last winter, took on the unusual chore of the 500 freestyle, then anchoring 200 free relay and then 100 back consecutively.

Kitchen won the 500 free with a solid time, all things considered, of 5 minutes, 54.83 seconds, then had competitive seconds anchoring the 200 free relay and in the 100 back.

“I’m still trying to figure that out,” Kitchen said of how to approach an event stack like that. “I’m just glad there were two heats of the backstroke, so I got a little more rest with that. I usually just try to drink a little bit of water and sit down.

“I was actually really excited about the (5:54.83). It was one of my goals for this meet. I was aiming for under a 1:08 (in the 100 back), so I’m kind of proud that I got under that.”

A year ago, Kitchen had an encouraging 100 back season, including taking fifth at the Division II SPIRE Sectional with a 1:02.09, then 10th at the CSU District in 1:01.59.

Being able to crack the top 10 at CSU in a deep D-II 100 back field led by Hawken stalwart Jessica

Eden, as well as getting into the mid-29s to the turn, yielded confidence.

“It actually made me really excited about this year as well and how far I can go in the future, too,” Kitchen said.

“(During the pandemic,) I stopped swimming at the end of March, I think — the middle to end of March. I was out until August maybe. I only came back for a little bit because I was so busy with everything. And then I started again at the end of October.”

Kitchen knows well she’ll need to drop further beyond that 1:01.59 last year at CSU to make the podium for the 100 back in 2021.

If nothing else, though, she’ll know when that time comes for district, she’s already seen what an exertion threshold truly means, after a triple to which any swimmer can relate as far as the challenge.

“My start was pretty bad,” Kitchen said of the 100 back. “So I’ve actually worked on that a lot this year already, and my underwaters are getting better, too.”

The Chagrin charge for the dual sweep was paced by Michael Tropf and Madi Machado. Tropf, in an offevent individual meet, took the 100 butterfly (56.22) and 100 back (1:01.46) and recorded a sterling 22.10 to anchor the first-place 200 free relay.

Machado was solid in sweeping the 200 IM (2:19.30) and the 100 breaststroke (1:11.01) and had a 31.74 breast split on the winning 200 medley relay.

Coming soon

For more from this meet, as Tropf discusses his evolving role on the Tigers’ vaunted 200 free relay and his 100 breast aspirations, check back in the coming days on News-Herald.com and in our print edition.