Northwood Timberwolves Varsity Boys "Fab Foursome" from left to right Peter Zhu, Cameron Hsieh, Hunter Hitchens and Judson Balding broke the NHS 400 Free Relay team record during Saturday's 45th Southern Section CIF Millikan Relays hosted at the Joint Forces Training Base, Los Alamitos. Photo via Alex Nieto.
The Northwood High School record-board rearranging has already begun this new season for the Timberwolves' swimming team. On Saturday, March 21, 2015 at the 45th Southern Section CIF Millikan Relays the Northwood High School 400 free relay school record was broken by Peter Zhu (47.85), Cameron Hsieh (47.61), Hunter Hitchens (47.01), and anchor Judson Balding (46.83) in 3:09.30.
Probably the most important change didn't have anything to do with the NHS 400 Free relay team record this year, but rather the very closely contested match up of final placement for the actual win. Never before in Coach Alex Nieto's 9 years had the Timberwolves nearly take top team honors at this venue.
But there was University High School, 4 points ahead as the defending Southern Section CIF Mullikan Relay champ from the Northwood team score going into the final medley relay event, and well ahead of strong teams from Corona del Mar, Mater Dei, and more.
The University Trojans finished with 254 points, and the Timberwolves with 244 in a relay-based meet which factors a frosh-soph level into the final team score.
"It's satisfying because this is a meet where you have to work together, and I feel like my guys really did that," said Nieto. "It's not so much winning that makes it a good day for us, it's seeing these boys work so well with each other."
Peter Zhu (47.85), Cameron Hsieh (47.61), Hunter Hitchens (47.01), and Judson Balding (46.83) each delivered sub-48-splits toward a winning time of 3:09.30, lowering .46 off the team record set in 2014.
Key to the quartet's development has been freshman Hunter Hitchens emergence on the senior relay team. Already one of the nation's elite junior swimmers, he's found another gear to give the Northwood Timberwolves four first-rate freestyle sprinters.
Seniors Zhu & Balding, and Junior Hsieh are making steady gains after breakout years last spring, and the arrival of Hitchens, a freshman, gives the Timberwolves depth few in the Pacific Coast League can match.
Northwood's strong showing is the result of good balance throughout the lineup. Senior Peter Zhu has been a bright spot in the early going for the Timberwolves, and he's already improved up on his best time in the 100 Free touching in 48.78 at the Mader Dei and Santiago tri-meet.
Senior Judson Balding is helping that overall team balance by bringing some top-end sprint speed, too. Balding finished the 100 Free (47.82) at this month's tri-meet with Fountain Valley and LB Wilson. Balding will be helping the swim team at Boston University this fall in extending their distance swimming tradition.
Also making the difference is Junior Cameron Hsieh who has consistently been in the top three finishers throughout the beginning of this season in freestyle events such as the 50 free (22.42) clocked at the Fountain Valley and LB Wilson tri-meet.
At a 6-0 overall standing undefeated non-league season so far the entire Northwood team seems to be poised for a breakout year. Coach Nieto likes the intensity he's seeing from the entire team at all levels and seeing performances like tonight at the Millikan Relays finishing roughly even, bodes well for a successful upcoming dual meet season that would be well worth watching.