Senior Finn Stukerjurgen is a five-time state qualifier for the Ankeny boys’ swimming team. He helped the Hawks to a third-place finish in the season-opening Sprint Invitational on Tuesday at Trail Point Aquatics Center.
Stukerjurgen placed fifth in the 100 individual medley with a time of 56.76 seconds and finished third in the 50 backstroke in 26.01. He anchored Ankeny’s third-place 200 medley relay and also swam on the Hawks’ third-place 200 freestyle relay.
Here is some inside info on Stukerjurgen:
What did you think of your team’s performance on Tuesday?
I am super proud of our performance at such a competitive meet only two weeks into the season. Every year I love this meet as it shakes up the normal meet event lineup and allows us to see how we stack up against the best competition in the metro. We saw a lot of swims from people who showed off the work they did this offseason. I can’t wait to see what they do when we get to the full-length events. Overall, our performance on Tuesday showed that we have a lot of upside as we continue to train and allow our young guys to gain some confidence.
I know your team has several newcomers in the lineup. Do you think the new guys showed a lot of promise?
The freshmen this year have a lot of potential, and many of them have slotted well into our team where we lost people from last year. I think Jack Walsh going under 1:00 in the 100 IM is a massive accomplishment and shows he has a lot to offer going forward this season. Jake Smith has also taken a great role on the team, already being on the “A” 200 medley relay. High school swimming is a completely different beast compared to club. When they gain experience both in practice and at dual meets, I can see four or five freshmen making a real impact when it comes to the end of the season.
Were you happy with your swims?
I thought my times were fairly solid, but I recognize lots of areas where I need to place extra focus in practice. The biggest thing for me was taking a role in the relays. I did the 50 free on two relays which is an event that is definitely not my forte, but it’s always an honor to be on a varsity relay. I used the energy of my team and the meet which helped me to go two of my fastest relay splits ever.
Your team will face Waukee on Thursday at the new Waukee Natatorium. Have you had a chance to swim in that facility yet?
I have not had the opportunity to swim there yet, but I have several friends that swim there for their club and have had great things to say. For the size of swimming in Iowa, we are fortunate to have so many great facilities.
You are one of only four returning state qualifiers for the team. As a senior, are you trying to be a leader for the squad, and if so how?
I take my leadership role on the team very seriously, and I am extremely proud to be a team captain. I think the best way to support my teammates is to make a personal connection with everyone. This sport is really hard, and it’s almost impossible if you are only doing it for yourself. When we have built a team environment where everyone supports each other, not only does the sport get a lot more fun but we also swim a lot faster.
You placed 15th in the 200 IM and 22nd in the 500 freestyle at last year’s state meet, helping your team to a ninth-place finish. Do you feel like those are your best individual events and the ones that you’ll focus on this year?
There are a lot of options this year with the field in all events being so different after the state graduated such a talented class. I think the 200 IM is my main event so I hope to swim that throughout the year. The 500 is an event I want a little revenge on as I was very disappointed with how I swam it at state last year. That is also an event that has tons and tons of talented guys up and down the board so we will have to see how those rankings shake out come the end of the season. I think my time in the 50 back on Tuesday also puts the 100 backstroke as an opportunity for another event that I can compete for a spot in.
What are your goals for the rest of the season?
First and foremost, it’s important to me to make sure that our team has great chemistry and is competing every day whether it be a lift, practice, dual meet, or state. Personally, I am working toward making all-state both academically and in my event. I also want to be a major contributor on the relays and ensure that we are competing at the top of the “A” finals.
Do you feel like this team is capable of earning another top-10 finish in the state?
I think a top-10 finish should be the expectation for this team. I understand that we lost many of our state team members from last year, but we are also returning a strong core group along with some young guys that are showing a lot of promise. We have the opportunity to get a lot of guys into the state meet for the first time and several to score some points.
I know your brother Brek went on to swim at Missouri State after high school. Is he about done with school, and did he enjoy swimming in college?
Brek will be graduating in May with his degree in construction management and has loved swimming down at Missouri State.
What are your college plans? Would you like to continue swimming, and what do you want to study?
I am currently uncommitted, but I do plan on swimming in college and am in the latter stages of the recruiting process. I hope to study neuroscience and political science on a pre-med track to eventually pursue a career in Global Health.
Did you do anything special for Thanksgiving?
On Thanksgiving, we had the day off of practice and I was able to take some time to relax with family. I’m also fortunate enough to be a part of Ankeny School’s dual enrollment EMT class with DMACC. During this break, I spent a lot of time doing my clinical rotations in the ER which was a super interesting experience and allowed me to learn a lot.