kelly presnell / arizona daily star

Other articles by Jamie M. Blanchard:

Banister, Wildcats overpower Sun Devils Wildcats' bombers eager to play ASU Run-in with fence inspires Wildcats Cats make Oregon pay for sloppy defense Arredondo back, and with a vengeance Wildcats complete sweep of Michigan Leles homers twice as Cats sweep twin bill Locked-in Cats pound St. Joseph's twice Stung Wildcats come back fast Cats work overtime, end early

Health Care
Sierra Tucson
Eating Disorders Program Coordinator Administrative & Professional
Jorgensen Brooks Group
Counselor Health Care
Dependable Health Services
Physical Therapists Construction
West-Press
Printing Health Care
CENTRAL ARIZONA COLLEGE
DIRECTOR OF HEALTH INFORMATION MANAGEMENT Mechanical
Komatsu Equipment Co
Resident Field Mechanic Administrative & Professional
Tucson Urban League
CEO/President

Mountain View junior Ian Wishnies excels at one of the most challenging events in swimming — the 200-meter individual medley, which combines four strokes into one race.

"It's something you have to be kind of diverse and multitalented to do because it's all four strokes," said Wishnies, referring to the butterfly, freestyle, breast stroke and backstroke.

Wishnies became the first Mountain View boys swimmer to win a region championship when he won the 200 IM as a freshman. He also won the 200 IM and 100 butterfly at the 5A Southern Region meet last October.

"It's a really cool feeling to set the standard for people to come," said Wishnies, who also is the school's jazz-band saxophonist.

His season began Wednesday, but his mind is already geared toward the postseason.

"I'm looking further down the line right now, because you have to know where you're going and how you're getting there," he said. "I want to win regionals in the 100 butterfly and 200 IM, and hopefully place high at state."

Wishnies, who carries a 4.0 GPA, recently talked about the demands and process of the 200 IM.

Butterfly: The race starts with his favorite stroke. "It's one of the hardest strokes, but I've always been pretty good at it," Wishnies said. "It's a hard motion for your body to do because you have to bring both of your arms out of the water at the same time. I think that makes you get tired faster, more than any of the other strokes."

Backstroke: After he tries to build a lead with his specialty stroke, he moves onto the backstroke, which presents an inherent challenge. "It can be hard swimming backwards," Wishnies said. "You do get lost (in the lane) sometimes. It's hard knowing where you are in the lane and it's hard to swim straight."

Breast stroke: Wishnies said he would eliminate the breast stroke from the medley if he had the chance; it is his least favorite stroke because of his "bad kick." But since he has no choice, Wishnies pushes away from the wall and "goes right into the underwater pullout," a maneuver where the arms pull all the way down past the hips. Then he gets his legs moving. "I tend to slow down on the breast stroke, but I have to keep going."

Freestyle: Last is a variation of one of his favorite sprinting events, the 50-meter freestyle, which he calls "nice and short." "I just focus on getting to the wall, getting off as fast as I can, and then getting home as fast as I can," he said. "I treat it just like a 50 sprint."