Records are made to be broken unless they are Alaska high school swimming and diving records, in which case they seem made to last.
There hasn't been much re-writing of the record book in recent years, and it appears unlikely that a major edit will be in order after this week's state meet at Bartlett High.
Only one record is in true jeopardy, and it's the oldest one of them all -- Alvin Spencer's 1982 record in boys diving. Cade Bennett of Dimond bettered Spencer's mark last week at the Cook Inlet Conference championships, but he'll need to do it again this week to etch his name in the record book -- state records can only be broken at the state championships.
In the swimming events, no one has recorded swim times this season that come close to anything in the record book. And that continues a trend established in recent years.
Records in eight of the 12 boys events were set last century. One was set in 2000, two in 2008 and one in 2009.
For the girls, five of the 12 records were set before 2000, and all but two were set prior to 2008.
Odds are good that a new record will come this year in boys diving. Bennett won the CIC title last week with 551.15 points, more than 30 points better than the mark of 517.25 set three decades ago by Spencer, who competed for Chugiak.
If Bennett gets the record, the oldest record will belong to Ben Smith, who set the 500 free record of 4 minutes, 37.85 seconds for Service back in 1990.
State Meet Records
Boys
200-yard medley relay -- Juneau-Douglas, 1:36.33, 2009
200 freestyle -- Cody Brunette, Juneau, 1:40.58, 2008
200 individual medley -- John Rogers, Lathrop, 1:53.51, 1995
50 freestyle -- Andrew Tainter, Service, 20.91, 1996
1-meter diving (11 dives) -- Alvin Spencer, Chugiak, 517.25 points, 1982
100 butterfly -- Cody Brunette, Juneau, 49.19, 2008
100 freestyle -- Derek Gibb, Petersburg, 46.27, 1998
500 freestyle -- Ben Smith, Service, 4:37.85, 1990
200 freestyle relay -- Dimond, 1:26.56, 1998
100 backstroke -- Chris Geitz, Dimond, 51.91, 1994
100 breast stroke -- Joshua Gemmell, Soldotna, 56.40, 2000
400 freestyle relay -- Dimond, 3:09.70, 1998
Girls
200 medley relay -- Juneau-Douglas, 1:47.86, 2007
200 freestyle -- Meghan Cavanaugh, East, 1:50.02, 2007
200 individual medley -- Sarah Rockwell, West, 2:07.05, 2002
50 freestyle -- Maria Reeves, Lathrop, 23.34, 1998
1-meter diving -- Alaina Patterson, Chugiak, 463.45, 1998
100 butterfly -- Meghan Cavanaugh, East, 55.59, 2007
100 freestyle -- Laura Miller, Ketchikan, 51.17, 2006*
500 freestyle -- Kayla Meiergerd, Chugiak, 4:56.55, 1998
200 freestyle relay -- Lathrop, 1:36.36, 1999
100 backstroke -- Samantha Wicks, East, 54.78, 2011
100 breast stroke -- Laura Griffing, Kodiak, 1:04.50, 2010
400 freestyle relay -- Lathrop, 3:31.88, 1999
* First leg of 400 free relay
(Note: all records must be established at the state championships, in either prelims or finals)
Anchorage Daily News