TOKYO — Two weeks ago, 12-year-old Connor Cackovic’s left hand was in a cast, the result of a broken thumb from football.

You’d never have known it on Sunday in the American Swim Council in Japan’s Junior Olympic Swim Meet.

Cackovic won the 100- and 200-meter freestyle events and finished third in the individual high-point race for his 11-12 age group, helping boost the Okinawa Dolphins to seventh place, highest among the five DOD youth squads in the 15-team event.

“He did great,” Dolphins coach Mat Luebbers said of Cackovic.

Joining Cackovic on the high-point podium was freshman Saya Novinger of Seoul American, who won no races but was fifth or better in each of her six events.

Cackovic, in his third Junior Olympic meet, swam the 200 freestyle in 2 minutes, 17.59 seconds, almost 4 seconds ahead of his closest competitor. His time of 1:02.39 in the 100 freestyle was 1.06 seconds better than the runner-up — success he credited to lessons learned in previous years.

“If I want to beat the Japanese, every year I have to practice hard,” Cackovic said. “And I’ve learned some strokes from them.”

The performances by Cackovic and Novinger were small victories compared to the overall team standings, dominated by the meet’s host, the International Buccaneers, and five Japanese swim clubs, which finished well ahead of the Dolphins. Seoul American was 10th, followed by the Atsugi Blue Dolphins and Yokota Stingrays of Japan. The Yokosuka Seahawks of Japan finished last.

That’s mostly how it’s been in this meet’s 27 years.

Seoul American may have been “untouchable” in Korea but the team considers the Junior Olympics “an opportunity to measure ourselves against really good competition,” Seoul coach George Novinger said.

“We hope that it will inspire them to work harder in the pool, when they see what the really good swimmers with the really good strokes look like.”

Cackovic, a Junior Olympics veteran, said he concentrates not as much on overtaking competitors as on challenging himself “to do better.” He said he tells teammates “not to worry about their times but to just worry about yourself and beat your best times.”

Coaches of all five DOD teams said most of their swimmers also come out of the meet with a renewed sense of confidence. “The competition is so much tougher than what we normally swim against,” said coach Jen Gudmundsson of Japan’s Atsugi Blue Dolphins. “They encourage our kids to pick it up a notch."

2005 American Swim Council in Japan Junior Olympic Meet

At St. Mary’s International School, Tokyo

Final team standings

1, International Buccaneers, 3,662½; 2, Watermates Swim Club, 3,472; 3, Taiyo Kyoiku Sports Center, 3,004½; 4, T-Fam Swim Team, 2,476; 5, Nanko Swimming School, 1,993½; 6, Shindaita Swimming School, 1,210; 7, Okinawa Dolphins Swim Team, 1,016½; 8, Aquamarine Swimmming Team, 872; 9, Hamada Swim Team, 608; 10, Seoul American Falcons, 606; 11, Atsugi Naval Air Facility Blue Dolphins, Japan, 217; 12, Yokota Air Base Stingrays, Japan, 180; 13 (tie), Funabashi Jr. High Swim Team and Arai Swimming School, 92½; 15, Yokosuka Naval Base Seahawks, Japan, 91.

DOD swimmers individual high standings

Boys 6-8: 32, Marco Flores, Yokosuka, 12.

Boys 9-10: 10, Harold B. Martin, Okinawa, 58; 27, Ryan M. Glavy, Okinawa, 13; 29, Thomas C. Harrington, 12.

Boys 11-12: 3, Connor Cackovic, Okinawa, 103; 26, Simeon N. Cole-Fletcher, 19; a32, Timothy E. Castillo, Okinawa, 12 1/2; 33, Kris S. Wood, Okinawa, 9; 36, Calvin Hensley, Okinawa, 6; 40, Bryan J. Shultis, Okinawa, 1.

Boys 13-14: 21, Song-ho Downes, Seoul, 26; 26, Scott S. Wood, Okinawa, 16; 29, Daniel Lee, Seoul, 14; 31, Johnathan Yi, Seoul, 9; 34, Donovan M. Brogan, Okinawa, 4; 35, Zane A. Sisneros, Okinawa, 3; 36, Bradley N. Shultis, Okinawa, 1.

Boys 15-18: 10, Alex Ford, Seoul, 59; 13, Chris Ross, Seoul, 51; 20, James Jacovac, Seoul, 33; 27, Alvin Hatfield, Seoul, 18; 30, Josh R. Wood, Okinawa, 14; 33, M. Blyzniuk, Seoul, 9; 37, Joe Tully, Seoul, 4; 38, Matt A. Flynn, Seoul, 3.

Girls 6-8: 17, Alicia Carlin, Okinawa, 37; 26 (tie), Laurel Curtis, Madison B. Jones and Paige Cackovic, Okinawa, 12; 30, Dagmar Gudmundsson, Atsugi, 9; 33, Tina Vigo, Atsugi, 4.

Girls 9-10: 26, Ayana N. Cole-Fletcher, Okinawa 16; 33, Salina P. Galeai, Okinawa, 10; 35, Thalia T. Tate, Okinawa, 8; 37, Brianna Murphy-Hudspeth, Atsugi, 7; 43, Kathryn Heinrichs, Yokosuka, 2; 44, Kayleigh Richards, Yokosuka, 1.

Girls 11-12: 28, Cara Galeai, Okinawa, 16; 32, Shari Moss, Yokota, 9; 34, Jasmine Flores, Yokosuka, 6; 37 (tie), Rachel Hensley, Okinawa, and Jordan Park, Yokota, 5; 41, Meredith S. Bell, Okinawa, 4; 43, Jody Hasebe, Yokota, 3; 46, Marissa E. Vigo, Atsugi, 2; 48 (tie), Monika Hammond, Atsugi, and Jessie Yamagata, Okinawa, 1.

Girls 13-14: 3, Saya Novinger, Seoul, 92; 8, Morgan M. Harrell, Seouol, 63; 10, Dana R. Nichols, Okinawa, 58; 11, Sarah McLain, Atsugi, 56; 23 (tie), Hannah Cackovic and Courtney Carson, Okinawa, and Stephanie Frey, Atsugi, 21; 27, Michelle E. Castillo, Okinawa, 19; 29, Marisa A. Campbell, Okinawa, 17; 31, Jena C. Glavy, Okinawa, 15; 32, Kiersten K. Blyzniuk, Seoul, 14; 34, Angel A. Faulkner, Seoul, 11; 35, Dlorah B. Martin, Okinawa, 9; 36, Maddy Tiller, Atsugi, 7; 38, Taylor Carver, Okinawa, 5; 39, Stephanie Thompson, Okinawa, 4.

Girls 15-18: 8, Elliko Heimbach, Yokota, 74; 18, Sarah Yance, Seoul, 47; 27, Sarah J. Arant, Yokota, 19; 32, Katherine P. Parker, Seoul, 12; 33, Libby P. Campbell, Okinawa, 11; 34, Leah L. Loefstedt, Seoul, 10; 37, Jennifer J. Graham, Seoul, 7; 39, Kathryn Dittmer, Yokosuka, 5.

DOD swimmers individual race winners

Connor Cackovic, 12, Okinawa, boys 11-12 100 freestyle, 1 minute, 2.39 seconds.

Connor Cackovic, 12, Okinawa, boys 11-12 200 freestyle, 2:17.59.

Elliko Heimbach, 18, Yokota, girls 15-18 200 freestyle, 2:09.79.

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