with gallery: Chris Klein and Pioneer top Huron, 117-69, in boys swimming action

When he hit the wall 100 yards later and looked up at the clock, his eyes deceived him for a moment.

“I thought I had it,” Klein, the Pioneer senior, said. “But then I remembered it was faster.”

Klein clocked in at 52.25 seconds, just .11 off putting his name on a record board that features multiple Olympians.

But there’s still time in this senior season to break records, and Klein has his sights set on plenty of them.

On Friday, first place was enough to help his Pioneer team top Huron, 117-69, in a dual meet. Pioneer won eight of 12 events, including diving, and finished its SEC dual meet season with just one blemish, to three-time defending state champions Saline.

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“We’re getting ready for league meet, so everybody doesn’t want to swim their events, but it was a good meet,” Pioneer coach Denny Hill said. “Huron came out to swim, and it was a very good meet.”

Klein’s 100-yard backstroke time, his personal best, was one of the highlights of the night for Pioneer. He also won the 100 butterfly.

The Pioneers took first and second place in the 100 freestyle, with Davis Argersinger and Kai Williams. The Pioneers also won all three relays.

Highlights for the River Rats included Andrew Henning and Adam Lewit finishing 1-2 in the 200 freestyle, and sophomores Tamblyn Holden and Will Brenner notching first-place finishes in the 200 individual medley and 50 freestyle, respectively.

“We’re cresting at the right time,” Huron coach Eric Stanczyk said. “Nothing too far off, nothing surprising.”

The dual meet comes as both teams ramp up for the league meet next weekend at Saline, and the state finals March 8-9.

In those two meets, Klein has his eyes set on three records: his own school record in the 200 IM, Pioneer’s 32-year-old school record in the 100 breastroke, and the 100 breastroke state record held by Josh Ehrman of Saline, a friend.

And the performances of he and his teammates Friday night was a good sign.

“I feel the team is really far ahead of where they were last year,” Klein said “There’s a lot more people who have made a state cut, there’s a lot more people who are faster than they were last year. I feel that we’ve filled the gap left behind by the seniors who graduated last year.”

While Hill said his swimmers may have been a little tired in Friday’s meet, he still likes where they are with their training at this point in the season.

“Right now we’re looking pretty good,” Hill said. “And hopefully we’ll go a little faster.”