34 April 2021 | parkcitiespeople.com
Sports
FIGHTING OFF FATIGUE, HOSCH CLAIMS BREASTSTROKE GOLD
HP junior wins two medals, narrowly misses record at busy state swim meet By Todd Jorgenson People Newspapers
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indsey Hosch’s eye-opening regional time suggested she’s the best Class 5A breaststroke swimmer in Texas. Her breathtaking performance at the state meet proved it. The Highland Park junior earned a 5A state championship on March 2 in San Antonio, dominating her race in a time of 1 minute, 1.76 seconds. As the top seed in the race, she missed the Class 5A state record by only 0.02 seconds. “I was excited that I won the event, but I didn’t meet my goals for that race. I wanted to go a lot faster,” Hosch said. “Next year, I can defend my title and go even faster.” Still, Hosch improved her time by more than two seconds from the 2020 state meet, when she won a silver medal in the 100 breaststroke. And she did so under
extenuating circumstances. The meet was pushed back more than a week because of winter weather throughout the state, which interrupted training and preparation. In addition, COVID-19 restrictions condensed a two-day meet to a single day, with preliminaries in the morning and finals in the evening. The unprecedented switch was especially arduous for busy swimmers such as Hosch, who had to race eight times in one day — double her usual workload. The 100 breaststroke final was her eighth and final swim. “It was a lot of swimming in one day,” Hosch said. “By finals, everyone was already super tired.” Earlier in the day, Hosch claimed a silver medal in the 100 butterfly, falling short by just 0.13 seconds to Lubbock’s Ellis Fox. “I was pretty surprised and happy with my 100 fly,” Hosch said. “I was just going in and hoping for the best, trying to get through it so
I could focus on the breaststroke.” The stellar individual performances more than atoned for a miscue in the day’s first event, the 200 medley relay. The Blue Wave posted a second-place preliminary time but suffered a disqualification in the finals when Hosch left the starting block early for her leg.
Next year, I can defend my title and go even faster.
Lindsey Hosch
Hosch has verbally committed to swim collegiately at Texas, following in the footsteps of her mother, grandfather, and uncle. Her older brother Turner, who won multiple state titles for HP in golf, now plays at Oklahoma. “I knew that I wanted to go to Texas if I was able to,” Hosch said. “I really like the girls on the team.”
Lindsey Hosch won a gold medal in the 100 breaststroke and a silver medal in the 100 butterfly at the 5A state meet in San Antonio. (PODIUM IMAGE: COURTESY PHOTO; ACTION IMAGE: CHENGLIE PAN)
Sooner-Born Weibel Has Unfinished Business at State
Scots senior seeking another Texas 5A golf title before heading to Oklahoma By Todd Jorgenson People Newspapers
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Hudson Weibel has been a golfer since he was 3, but he’s been an Oklahoma Sooners fan for longer than that. So when the Highland Park senior signed to play golf for perennial powerhouse OU in the fall, it seemed inevitable. Both of his parents went there, along with several other relatives. “I was raised as an OU kid,” said Weibel, who verbally committed to the Sooners as an eighth-grader at Highland Park Middle School. “That’s all I wanted to do, was go play golf there.” Weibel will have that chance later this year. But first, he wants to lead the Scots to a fourth consecutive Class 5A state title this spring. HP is expected to make a return trip in May to White Wing Golf Club in Georgetown, where Weibel tied for 10th place individually as a freshman and placed 17th as a sophomore. The COVID-19 pandemic eliminated another repeat opportunity last year. PCP_Apr2021x10Banner-FINAL-Revised.pdf 1 3/11/2021 Highland 3:24:31 PM Park senior Hudson Weibel will try Weibel was the newcomer on that to lead the Scots to their fourth consecutive powerhouse 2018 squad, but this year is 5A state championship in May. (COURTESY PHOTO)
the experienced veteran tasked with helping his younger teammates. “Both years I played [at state], I was the youngest guy on the team,” he said. “I’ve played there so many times now. It’s big for me to be able to show them how I’ve done it at state.” Weibel won a couple of junior tournaments in eighth grade, then qualified for the Texas State Amateur as a 15-year-old in 2018, becoming the youngest player in the field at Whispering Pines Golf Club near San Antonio. Since then, he has added distance to his drive and worked extensively on his mental game. “Hudson is very process-oriented. A bad day doesn’t really affect him in a dramatic way like it does some kids,” said HP head coach Erik Henson. “He’s played high-level golf for a long time. At this point, he’s not ever intimidated by anything. He’s very confident in the way he carries himself.” This season, Weibel won the season-opening event for the Scots at the
I was raised as an OU kid. That’s all I wanted to do, was go play golf there. Hudson Weibel
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Lanny Wadkins Challenge in Arlington. He surged to the top with a final-round score of 65, capped by an eagle on the last hole. That flair for the dramatic could come in handy when he — along with fellow seniors Pierce Johnson and Thompson Huthnance, among others — look to continue their legacy of state championships. “This team came up together,” he said. “This year, we’ll be pretty tough to beat.”
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PUTTING PROWESS Highland Park has won the past three Class 5A boys golf championships, and will be among the favorites again this year. Year 2017 2018 2019
Score Victory 591 13 strokes 564 33 strokes 581 7 strokes
