Mount Desert Island doesn’t have the largest Class B boys swimming team in the state, but it is led by one of the state’s best swimmers in senior Jamie Cunningham, who set a school and state record in the 100-yard freestyle with a time of 47.22 seconds in a meet against John Bapst of Bangor last week.

In the latest statewide Class B standings, Cunningham has the fastest time in the 200 free, the 200 individual medley, the 50 free, the 100 butterfly, the 100 backstroke, the 100 free, and the 500 free – and leads off the fastest 200 medley relay and 200 free relay. He has the third-fastest 100 breaststroke time as well.

Cunningham is just building on the success he had last year, when he won the 50 free and 100 free at states and the 100 free and 200 free at the Penobscot Valley Conference championship meet.

Before he set the 100 free mark, Cunningham said he hadn’t seen big time drops in the event until an early-morning practice on the day of the meet.

“You really never know when you are going to swim fast,” he said. “It’s a matter of patience. I did a certain set in the morning and I went fast.”

His times in other strokes haven’t dropped as much as he would like so far this season. But Cunningham said his technique has improved.

“I feel a lot stronger than last year,” he said. “I have more power and quickness. I feel like my times this year aren’t as much luck anymore.”

The record means even more to Cunningham because the old school record was held by former MDI standout Bruce Crock, who went on to a successful career swimming for Princeton University and competed in the U.S. Olympic Trials in 1996.

“[The record] means I’ve gone faster than Bruce Crock, which is still kind of unbelievable to me,” said Cunningham.

Swimmers are allowed to compete in two individual events and two relays at the state championships, which means the senior from Bar Harbor has some big decisions to make come Feb. 13, when the Class B boys title will be decided at Bates College in Lewiston.

“I have a general idea of what I want to do, but I don’t know what specific races I am going to swim,” he said.

Cunningham is a three-sport athlete for the Trojans. He was an All-LTC linebacker-tight end for the MDI football team and is the catcher and a relief pitcher for the baseball team.

At 6-foot-3 he would seem a good candidate for basketball as well. But Cunningham is happy with swimming as his major winter commitment.

“I’ve thought about playing basketball, but I figure that I’ve put so much time and effort into swimming,” Cunningham said. “Our team is really close, and that’s a big thing.”

It was clear ice all the way Monday night as the SAD 29 school board unanimously approved the implementation of a cooperative varsity hockey program for Houlton High School and Hodgdon High School in SAD 70 next year.

The SAD 70 board will act on the final proposal at its meeting next week. Hodgdon High School Principal Stephen Fitzpatrick said Tuesday that he will recommend that the school board there also support the hockey plan. The board last month gave the proposal all but unanimous concept approval.

Assuming there is a positive vote next week in SAD 70, the final hurdle will come on March 16 when Houlton voters must pass a special referendum election to take $320,000 from municipal surplus to add features to multipurpose John Millar Arena now under construction.

Under the Houlton Hockey Association’s plan, called Varsity Hockey 2000, the HHA would fund the program for the first three years starting next year.