Hard to believe it now, but Belfast swimmer Tyler Bowen wasn’t happy with his performances in the 200-yard individual medley at the start of last season.

So he did something about it.

“I wasn’t really a good butterflyer so I worked on that a little bit and got stronger,” Bowen said after a recent practice. “The backstroke, I just kind of fell into it. And as soon as my breaststroke picked up I was able to last the whole 200.”

By the end of the season not only was Bowen able to last the entire IM, but he went on to win the Class B state championship in the event and was the top finisher at the New England Championships in March.

Bowen is poised to have another fine swimming season for the Lions.

“[My times are] right around where I want to be and I’m practicing really hard,” said Bowen, a football standout who was named this fall to the PTC Class B all-conference first team as a defensive end. “I want to swim everything to keep my options open.”

That’s the right idea considering Bowen has among the state’s top times in several different events, including that pesky butterfly.

Based on a recent list of top times in Class B, Bowen’s IM time of 2 minutes, 5.86 seconds is about four-tenths of a second behind Greely of Cumberland Center’s Nathan Mecray. Bowen swam the event in 1:59.47 at the 2006 state meet so it shouldn’t be hard for him to get back there again this year.

Bowen’s 500 freestyle time of 5:04.47 leads the state – he’s the Belfast High record-holder in that event – and his 100 backstroke (55.53) is also tops. Bowen was second in the back at states last year with a time of 55.22.

He is also among the top three in the 50 and 100 freestyles this year.

When the next time listing comes out, he should be on top of the standings with his 1:50.75 time in the 200 free.

Versatility is key to being a productive swim team member and it’s crucial in the IM, which requires more than a minimum amount of proficiency in all four strokes.

Bowen’s versatility extends to his ability to swim both sprint and distance events, which he believes comes from how he conducts his workouts.

“In practice instead of easing into my workouts I sprint the first set and then pound the rest,” said the 5-foot-11, 170-pound Bowen, who lifts light weights during football season because he doesn’t want to add too much muscle before the swim season starts. “I don’t know if that has anything to do with it.”

Bowen, who also competes for the Bay Area YMCA Bluefish but focuses on swimming for Belfast High in the winter season, figures he’s in the pool more than three hours per day, five days a week.

Bowen only swam the 500 free twice in competition last year. The second time he snapped the school mark, which was around 4:58 seconds. His first swim that season was a 5:02 and he got that to 4:55.98 the second time around.

“[Coach Bob Winslow] wanted me to push it as hard as I could,” Bowen said of his record-breaking swim. “I went out really fast and then was able to keep that up from practice.”

He also holds school records in the back (54.98) and the IM, which he set at 2006 states.

Although the Class B state meet won’t be held until Feb. 19, Bowen already has his mind set on repeating in the IM and 100 backstroke.

There are no guarantees that Bowen will compete in those two events, however. He knows Winslow will do whatever it takes to win the team title, which the Lions owned from 2000 to 2002.

“I don’t know if I’m going to be swimming [the IM and the back] because we don’t know what Coach is gonna throw us in,” Bowen said. “He strategizes. He’ll sit there for two hours and strategize the meet.”

Jessica Bloch can be reached at 990-8193, 1-800-310-8600 or jbloch@bangordailynews.net.