SD Prep Sports

SD Prep Sports: Swimming

From left: Matt Clements, Matt Miller, Dyllan White and David Lefstein were a big part of the Foothillers' 2004 Grossmont North League championship team.

San Diego Section Division 2 Swim Finals Report

Better late than never proves right time for Hillers' swimmer

By Phillip Brents

RANCHO BERNARDO, May 22, 2004 -- Dyllan White had had enough after this freshman year at Grossmont High School. He had swum continuously since he was 10. At 14, he felt he needed a break.

After two years of being out of the water, the aquatics bug bit again. He returned to the pool for his senior season to satisfy his curiosity – to see just where his potential could take him.

He climbed out of the Rancho Bernardo High School pool on May 22 as a CIF champion.

“I was burned out. I needed time off,” said White, who clocked 1:01.99 to capture this year’s San Diego Section Division II breaststroke title.

To finish as a champion, it obviously took a lot of hard work to play catch up in a sport that demands rigorous -- if not sometimes, monotonous – workouts. But White accepted the challenge. It paid off with a gold medal.

“I had to concentrate on technique and turns,” he said.

White, who finished as the Grossmont North League champion in both the 100 freestyle and 100 breaststroke, had entered the CIF finals with a seed time of 1:03.82. He bested Valley Center’s Alex Smith by 0.73 seconds to win the division title.

White was not done. He also finished sixth in the boys 100 freestyle race (50.11).

Overall, it was a good finish for the reigning Grossmont North League champion Foothillers, who finished third as a team in the boys Division II standings and eighth in the girls divisional field.

Matt Clements finished second in both the 100 freestyle (48.79) and 200 freestyle distances (1:46.74) while David Lefstein placed second in the 200 individual medley (2:01.27) and fifth in the 500 freestyle (5:04.21). The 400 freestyle relay team of Clements, White, Matt Miller and Lefstein finished in fourth place (3:23.10) to close out the meet.

Danielle Peebles led the league champion Grossmont girls team with a third-place finish in the 200 freestyle (1:56.72) and fourth-place finish in the 100 freestyle (55.15).

Valhalla (160 points) finished second in the Division II boys team standings to meet champion Valley Center (179 points). The Norsemen took a first-place finish in the 200 medley relay as the unit of Joe Rizk, Weston Thompson, Carlos Rivera and Phil Amberg timed 1:41.70.

In individual events, Rivera finished second in the boys 100 butterfly (53.05) and fifth in the boys 100 backstroke (57.18) while Rizk placed second in the boys 100 backstroke (54.27) and fourth in the 200 free (1:48.38) and Thompson was fourth in the boys 100 breaststroke (1:03.61). The quartert of Brandon Kelch, Thompson, Rizk and Rivera placed third in the boys 400 freestyle relay (3:20.56).

West Hills senior Justin Canty and freshman Caitlin Macky helped provide the highlights of the Division II meet for East County swimmers by each winning two titles.

Canty captured the the boys 200 freestyle (1:43.78) and 500 freestyle (4:44.49) while Macky (pictured at right) claimed championships in the girls 200 IM (2:07.61) and 100 breaststroke (1:05.90).

Canty entered the finals seeded first in the 200 free (1:47.73) and third in the 500 free (4:57.76). Macky was seeded first in both her events – 2:10.79 in the 200 IM and 1:07.28 in the breaststroke.

Macky anchored the West Hills team that finished second in the girls 400 free relay (3:43.68). Also on that team were Tarolyn Robertson, Elisa Lopez and Sierra Boehrig.

Robertson placed in two championship heat events: fourth in the girls 200 free (1:57.90) and fifth in the girls 500 free (5:20.48).

In rounding out the championship heats, Monte Vista’s Amand Kasimatis was third in the boys 100 butterfly (54.83), Grossmont’s Kyle Oats was sixth in the boys 50 free (22.52), Santana’s Catherine Gordon was sixth in the girls 100 breaststroke (1:10.22). Grossmont placed fourth in the girls 200 free relay (1:43.98).

Valhalla Norsemen took second-place honors among boys Division 2 teams.

Division I roundup

The Granite Hills foursome of Christine Johnson, Justine Elgas, Casey Check and Megan Bellwood finished second in the girls 200 freestyle relay (1:44.32). Among individuals, Elgas was fifth in both the girls 100 free (55.64) and 100 breaststroke (1:09.50), Stephanie McQuade was fifth in the girls 500 free (5:20.81), Johnson was sixth in the girls 200 IM (2:14.42) and Bellwood was eighth in the girls 50 free (25.68). Granite Hills finished fifth in the girls 200 medley relay.