SD Prep Sports

SD Prep Sports: Swimming

Baron girls looking for best-ever season

By Phillip Brents

CHULA VISTA, March 28, 2003 -- The Bonita Vista High girls swim team — 16 seniors strong — is looking to make its biggest splash in history this season. If Wednesday’s 139-46 non-league dual meet victory against Hilltop at the Parkway pool and Friday's 103-77 non-league win against Division II power Grossmont are any evidence of that, the Barons do appear headed in the right direction.

Pictured at right: Katie Leahy winning Wednesday's 100-yard backstroke event against Hilltop.

Bonita Vista captured first-place finishes in all l2 events in Wednesday's meet — touching two deep in 10 events and three deep in six others. Double event winners included Katie Leahy (200 freestyle and 100 backstroke), Alvizia Alexander (200 individual medley and 100 butterfly) and Rebecca Jimenez (50 and 100 freestyle). Other BV individual event winners included Brittney Aland (diving), Kim Linder (500 freestyle) and Gina Murrillo (100 breaststroke).

In Friday's meet at Southwestern College, Linder (50 free), Aland (diving) and Alexander (butterfly) won individual events but the Barons' depth held off the Foothillers, who claimed first-place finishes in eight events.

Grossmont finished second at last year's Division II finals and some are giving the Hillers the nod to win this year's CIF girls title.

"More than anything, coming at the middle of the season when we're broken down, I think spirit carried us. The kids get real excited when we swim against teams outside of the South Bay. If that carried us, so be it," Bonita Vista coach Steve Wiggs said.

Danielle Torre (breaststroke) and Melissa Mattero (200 freestyle) join Alexander (IM, butterfly) and Linder (50 and 500 freestyle) as returning Metro Conference individual champions.

The team's 16 seniors include Linder, Torre, Mattero, Jimenez, Marianne Paradowski, Susanna Orozco, Jasmine and Melanie Dyjak, Melissa Sandoval, Stacie Peterson, Erika Urrutia, Cindy Parra, Tammy Wang, Lauren Webster, Marissa Loya and Aland.

Talented underclassmen on the team include Alexander, Brittany Estrada, Sara Glick, Jeanette Islas, Leahy and Murrillo.

"We have a very solid strong team," Torre said.

Wiggs said he knew the team was prepared to do battle even before the season began. "This is the best condition I've ever seen them in coming over from the girls water polo season," the BV coach said.

About a dozen swimmers competed on the Barons' Metro tournament championship girls water polo team.

The Bonita Vista boys team swept Wednesday’s varsity meet by winning 10 events in posting a 125-60 decision against the Lancers. The Barons won five of the nine individual events in topping the nine-time defending Grossmont North League champion Foothillers 96-84 on Friday.

Chris Sanchez (200 free, back), Paul Hernandez (IM, breast) doubled in Wednesday's meet. Both Sanchez (200 free, back) and Chris Lopez (50 and 100 free) doubled in Friday's meet.

Notepad

Hilltop's Nick Davidson doubled in winning the 50 free and 100 fly in Wednesday's meet. He finished second in the 200 IM and third in the fly at last year's Metro finals and looks to be the favorite in any event this season that BV's Hernandez elects not to swim.

Hilltop's Kyle Kovar -- the returning CIF Division II diving champion -- could have a challenger in Grossmont junior Randin Lambrecht, who won Friday's dive finals with a career-best 188.1 point total for six dives. It was only Lambrecht's second meet of the season after totaling 182 points in a league win the previous day against El Cajon Valley. The Grossmont diver placed third at last year's CIF finals, though his 282.25 points trailed Kovar's winning tally of 334.45. However, Lambrecht topped his entry mark of 277.70 points after finishing second in the Grossmont North League finals.

Grossmont's girls are led by Lauren Clements, Kate Thornton (pictured at left), Mary Westervelt, Danielle Peebles and Claire Nicholson. Though Clements missed Friday's meet against Bonita Vista because of a recruiting trip, the Hillers' individual talent still shone as Thornton (IM, breast), Peebles (200 and 500 free) and Westervelt (100 free, back) all doubled in their events. Peebles set a career best in winning the 500 free (5:23.47) while Westervelt notched a season-best in winning the backstroke (1:04.11).

Grossmont's boys team was led by freshman Matt Clements (fly), sophomore David Lefstein (500 free) and senior John Tolosko (breast) while impressively sweeping all three relays. Other top returners include seniors Billy DeRidder and Eric Stone. DeRidder, Tolosko and Lefstein are all projected top six championship qualifiers this season at the CIF finals while Clements expects to impact the field whether it is in the championship or consolation heats.

Tolosko (pictured at right) scored a key win against the Barons' Hernandez in the breaststroke at Friday's meet to maintain his position among the section's leaders in the event.

The losses to Bonita Vista dropped both the Hillers' boys and girls teams to 4-2 on the season. The boys' team other loss came against University of San Diego High while the girls previously lost to Granite Hills, another Division I team.

Grossmont coach Doug Selby said he was grateful for the competition by the Division I Barons. "They gave us all we could want," he said.

Boys leaders

Bonita Vista 96, Grossmont 84

Pictured at right: Randin Lambrecht, Grossmont

200 medley relay: 1. Grossmont 1:49.88

200 freestyle: 1. Chris Sanchez (BV) 1:50.77

200 individual medley: 1. Paul Hernandez (Bonita Vista) 2:10.97

50 freestyle: 1. Chris Lopez (Bonita Vista) 23.69

Diving: 1. Randin Lambrecht (Grossmont) 188.1 points; 2. Doug Schulz (Bonita Vista) 164.1 points

100 butterfly: 1. Matt Clements (Grossmont) 58.53

100 freestyle: 1. Chris Lopez (Bonita Vista) 51.69

500 freestyle: 1. David Lefstein (Grossmont) 5:14.53

200 freestyle relay: 1. Grossmont 1:40.56

100 backstroke: 1. Chris Sanchez (Bonita Vista) 58.07

100 breaststroke: 1. John Tolosko (Grossmont) 1:04.78

400 freestyle relay: 1. Grossmont 3:35.97

Junior varsity: Bonita Vista 60, Grossmont 17

Girls leaders

Bonita Vista 103, Grossmont 77

Pictured at right: Brittney Aland, Bonita Vista

200 medley relay: 1. Grossmont 2:01.93

200 freestyle: 1. Danielle Peebles (Grossmont) 2:00.37

200 individual medley: 1. Kate Thornton (Grossmont) 2:19.67

50 freestyle: 1. Kim Linder (Bonita Vista) 26.39

Diving: 1. Brittney Aland (Bonita Vista) 130.2 points; 2. Melissa Smith (Grossmont)

100 butterfly: 1. Alvizia Alexander (Bonita Vista) 1:03.81

100 freestyle: 1. Mary Westervelt (Grossmont) 56.72

500 freestyle: 1. Danielle Peebles (Grossmont) 5:23.47 (personal best)

200 freestyle relay: 1. Bonita Vista 1:48.93

100 backstroke: 1. Mary Westervelt (Grossmont) 1:04.11 (season best)

100 breaststroke: 1. Kate Thornton (Grossmont) 1:12.19

400 freestyle relay: 1. Grossmont 3:53.47

Junior varsity: Bonita Vista 100, Grosssmont 71