SD Prep Sports

SD Prep Sports: Swimming

Sibling rivalries keep it in the family on Hilltop swim team

By Phillip Brents

CHULA VISTA, April 22, 2003 -- While high profile athletes usually are credited with a team’s success, the backbone of any team’s fortunes ultimately lies in its depth. For the Hilltop High School swim team, that depth is profiled in three sets of brothers ... well 2 1/2 sets of brothers anyway.

Pictured at right: Corey and Nicko Fix

Nick and Rob Davidson comprise the Lancers’ upper echelon. Nick ranks among the Metro Conference’s marquee swimmers and is vying for top times in the 50-yard freestyle, 100 butterfly and 100 breaststroke events. He finished third at last spring’s conference finals in the 200 individual medley and fourth in the 100 butterfly.

Rob Davidson — Hilltop’s top 500 freestyler — finished as last year’s 200 freestyle consolation champion while taking sixth overall in the championship 500 freestyle finals.

Lost in agate type — should they ever meet time standards for publication — are such equally worthy student athletes as Corey and Nicko Fix and Tyler Hunsiker.

Corey, a sophomore, swims the 500 freestyle. He had never competed in the event until last year. His prolific time drops have since made him a valuable contributor in team scoring.

“Last year, it was a last minute thing. I asked (the coach) what should I do and coach said just to finish the race,” said Fix, who timed 16 minutes in his debut in the 20-lap event.

By the end of the season, Fix (whose father Paul was a two-time CIF sprint champion in Orange County) had steadily chipped away at the challenge to move than halve his opening time of 16 minutes to 7:47.

He started this season at 7:37 and has steadily continued his improvement by dropping below the seven-minute mark by midseason. He timed 6:54 in the Lancers’ April 2 meet against Southwest — finishing second to Rob Davidson (6:15.08).

Fix and Hilltop boys coach John Salts have set a season-ending goal of 6:07 in the event. Originally, the goal had been 6:30.

“At the beginning of the season, every swimmer writes down their goals for themselves. I look at them and adjust them,” Salts said.

Concentration on fundamentals, along with dedication to practice, have paid their dividends. “I wasn’t doing flip turns. I’ve lengthened my stroke. I’m a lot stronger this year. I’m gong to attack and attack until I get what I want,” Fix said.

Corey may have some competition in the event now that may even drive his times down faster. Younger brother Nicko, a freshman, recently tried his hand in the distance event and finished with a first time of 7:34 that had Salts beaming.

Nicko — normally a sprinter — wore a wide grin as well.

“I didn’t even know how fast I was going,” the young swimmer said. “I think I’m going to do long distances now.”

With persistent hard work, Hunsiker has become another team contributor. He won the 200 freestyle event at the April 2 meet at the Loma Verde pool with a time of 2:26.73 — finishing two seconds ahead of teammate Garrett Boyle and 15 seconds ahead of third-place finisher Ryan Raymetz, who made it a 1-2-3 Hilltop finish in the event. Hunsiker also won the 200 freestyle event in a previous meet against Sweetwater, timing 2:29.08 in finishing 10 seconds ahead of teammate Estevan Felix.

Pictured at left: Todd and Tyler Hunsiker

Hunsiker began the season trailing both Boyle and Raymetz in the event. Boyle turned in the top time of 2:27.46 in a March 12 meet against Montgomery while Raymetz was second in 2:33.24 and Hunsiker was third in 2:38:92.

“Tyler has dropped minutes from when he started to where he is winning races for us,” Salts said.

Hunsiker is also a multi-event competitor. He finished third in the 500 freestyle in meets against Sweetwater and Southwest. He recorded a time of 7:12.43 in the Southwest meet and swam a legs on one of the Lancers’ 400 freestyle relay teams.

Hunsiker is the easiest swimmer to spot on the deck — he’s the only one with a football player and wrestler’s build.

The sophomore also serves as a role model for younger brother Todd, a freshman at Bonita Vista High.

Todd recently completed his first year of wrestling for the Barons, though he ended it on the injured list. He said he got into the sport after watching Tyler progress in the sport — and place him in all kinds of predicaments at home.

“I liked how he went to wrestling practice. He’d be putting me in holds and it’s like how did you do that?” Todd said with a smile. “He said it was a lot of fun.”

Tyler played freshman football and moved up to the JV ranks this past fall season. He has wrestled since the ninth grade. This is his first year of swimming.

Understandably, there is a sense of good natured ribbing between the two brothers. “He started out in knee-high football tights, then went to a thigh-high wrestling singlet and now to a speedo in swimming. I’m kind of wondering what’s next?” Todd said with a laugh during a break in a recent meet while cheering on his older brother.

There is also a lot of respect that has been imparted as well.

Todd called wrestling practices “pretty tough” and has since learned a great appreciation for the dedication needed to succeed in the sport. A broken arm ended his season. He said he might try out for the football team next season. Lacrosse also interests him. He is also a hockey fan.

“I’m hoping that by the time I get up to varsity, he’ll still be there (at Hilltop) and it’ll be a battle between us,” Todd said.

But when it’s their turn to climb onto the platform, the show stoppers do tend to steal the spotlight.

Nick Davidson, a potential collegiate recruit in both water polo and swimming, has lowered his time in the 100 butterfly to the 58-second range. His best last year was 59 seconds. He is shooting for a 55-second time that would squarely place him in contention among the section leaders. He would like to become one of the top six swimmers in his events when the divisional finals are contested next month.

“So far I’m working on making consideration times in everything I swim and going all out in whatever I can,” he said.