“He told me, ‘I’m going to be at state because I know you’re going to go,’ ” Trevor said of his brother’s words of inspiration. “It gives it that brother rivalry where I want to try to beat him. He’s always been a very good role model for me. He’s helped me out, told me what to do. Knowing he made it his senior year gives me that little push telling me I can make it my senior year as well.”
Keriazes qualified for district in the 100-yard breaststroke and 200-yard individual medley (butterfly, backstroke, breast, freestyle). He enters with the fourth-fastest qualifying time in the breast at 1 minute, 1.69 seconds. Cincinnati Moeller’s Cooper Hodge posted the fastest qualifying time in :58.84 seconds. Fellow Cincinnati swimming power St. Xavier placed three swimmers among the top five.
“It’s kind of cool swimming against those guys. It’s almost an honor to swim with them,” Keriazes said of Moeller and St. X. “I feel like I’m being paired with the best of the best so I’m going to swim my top game this weekend.
“I hope they’re like, ‘We gotta watch out for this Keriazes kid. Maybe he’s going to be gunning for us.’ I want to be a threat to them. I want to be the one to bring them down.”
Springfield sends nine boys and girls to the district meet. Not bad from a program that had about nine swimmers total when Keriazes was a freshman.
“For Springfield to get nine this weekend was really exciting for us,” Springfield swimming coach Stephanie Scholl. “I think he has a great shot at going (to state). He will have to swim his fastest time, which I think he’s definitely capable of this year. I think if he goes a 59 flat that will get him in. We are truly, truly going to miss Trevor. He’s a one of a kind swimmer.”
The top two swimmers at each district meet advance. The next 16 spots go to the fastest times from all the district meets. Swimming at Miami University’s deeper pool will help lower the times.
“They’ve been told that (Miami is a fast pool) since they were kids. I think it’s the best pool in the state,” Scholl said. “They know they can swim their best times there.”
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