Mepham swimmer takes second at states

The Nassau County record in the boys’ 50-yard freestyle had stood since 1982, long before any current high school student was even born. Austin Kowalsky, a senior at Mepham in North Bellmore, set out to change that this year, and handily did so with a time of 21.1 seconds, one-tenth of a second faster than the 30-year-old record.

Taking down the county record is just one of the many accomplishments that Kowalsky can boast about in his five-year career with the Bellmore-Merrick Sharks. Headed to swim for the University of Buffalo in the fall, he recently took second in New York state for the 100-yard freestyle. His time of 45.9 was also a new school record.

His accolades come as no surprise to Bellmore-Merrick coach Rob Kaefer. “As soon as Austin started swimming for the team, he was already an excellent swimmer,” Kaefer said. “He’s always shown a lot of promise.”

Yet, for a club swimmer stepping into the high school dynamic of the sport, skill doesn’t always translate well to teamwork — but that wasn’t the case with Kowalsky. Tall and thin, yet strong, the senior is naturally built to swim, but he’s always taken to improving his speed and stroke, Kaefer said, adding that he takes well to instruction.

A natural at all of the freestyle races, Kowalsky also swims backstroke or butterfly races if the team needs him to. In the 2011 Nassau County Championship, Kowalsky could have easily won the 50 freestyle, but the team needed him to swim the 100 backstroke for the points. “He questioned it, but when I explained my reasoning, he was fine with it,” Kaefer said of the decision. Kowalsky took first in the event.

As Kowalsky has matured, he’s come to appreciate his teammates on Bellmore-Merrick more and more, he said. At a meet against Plainview this season, Kowalsky anchored the 400-freestyle relay, as he had so many times before. Though he lagged behind by about three seconds, the race was in Kowalsky’s hands. Taking his dive off the blocks, the senior captain managed to catch his opponent and secure a win for the relay and his team. “I came back and won it, and that was probably the best relay leg I’ve ever had,” Kowalsky reflected. “The whole team aspect gets you to go a lot faster.”