MADISON TOWNSHIP — She may not be the biggest swimmer in the pool, but Brooklyn Maurer is usually one of the fastest.
The 5-foot-3 Maurer helped Madison to a second-place finish at the Tyger Co-Ed Invitational Relay earlier this month. She swam a leg on the runner-up medley relay and freestyle relay teams and was part of the fourth-place butterfly relay team as the Rams had their best showing ever at the event.
“Everyone else in my family is really tall,” said Maurer, The Richland Bank Athlete of the Week. “I’m kind of the odd ball in my family.”
Maurer’s grandfather, Pat, coached the St. Peter’s boys basketball team to three straight small-school state championship games in the late-1970s. St. Peter’s won a state title in 1978 and was runner-up in 1977 and 1979.
“I don’t play basketball,” Maurer said. “I’ve got two younger brothers and they are soccer and basketball players. Now they are swimmers, too.”
The diminutive Maurer may not have taken to basketball, but she has excelled in the pool. She owns the second fastest time in school history in the 100 yard backstroke (1 minutes, 3.57 seconds).
“The backstroke is my best stroke,” Maurer said. “My coach (Matt Wade) says if there were an underwater event, that would be my best.”
Maurer will be seeded third in the 100 breaststroke and sixth in the 100 freestyle at this weekend’s Ohio Cardinal Conference championships in Wooster. The event begins Friday and concludes Saturday.
“Brooklyn has made a lot of improvement since her freshman year, especially between her freshman and sophomore seasons,” Wade said. “She is hungrier this year. If any of our girls have a chance to get to state, it’s her.”
Getting to Canton, site of the state tournament in late February, won’t be easy. Maurer finished 11th in the 100 backstroke at last year’s Division II district meet in Bowling Green.
“I really hope to make it to state,” she said. “I’ve made it to district the last couple of years and that has been great experience for me.”
The Rams finished fifth at the OCC meet last year. The competition should again be strong this weekend.
Maurer is looking forward to it.
“I feel a lot more confident this year than I did in the the past,” Maurer said. “Swimming against good competition is a challenge and I’m looking forward to it.”
