SD Prep Sports: Swimming

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CHULA VISTA, April 9, 2003 -- Bryan Monzon was a championship swimmer when he competed at Chula Vista High School, earning honors in the 200-yard individual medley and breaststroke events his junior and senior years. The 1998 Spartan graduate served as an assistant coach the past two seasons at Bonita Vista High until getting his first head coaching assignment this season at Eastlake.

His homecoming proved a triumphant one after his Titans swept his alma mater in a Metro Conference boys and girls swim meet Wednesday at the Parkway pool in downtown Chula Vista to improve to 4-2 on the season.

Monzon admitted he is still learning the strengths of his swimmers but his basic goals remain the same regardless of where he is coaching.

“I want 100 percent best times from everyone with the exception of the elite swimmers who have pretty much accomplished that. Every meet has been constant drops,” he said.

Eastlake’s boys team continues to be led by senior Nik Clair-Williams, whose personal goal is to win the San Diego Section Division I 50 freestyle event after finishing second last season in the move up from the Division II ranks where he had won the sprint distance his sophomore year. He was sixth in the 100 freestyle at last year’s Division I championship meet but indicated he may concentrate this season instead on the 100 backstroke.

He is coming off an appearance at the U.S. Swimming sectional meet, Feb. 28-March 2 in Commerce, where he shaved off two-hundredths of a second in the 100 freestyle and set a personal best in the backstroke. “The times to qualify at sectionals are faster than CIF,” he said.

Clair-Williams, who is bound for UC-Irvine next season on a partial swimming scholarship, was one of three Titans to win four events in their 105-45 victory against Chula Vista. Besides winning the 100 freestyle and 100 backstroke events, he also swam legs on Eastlake’s winning 200 and 400 freestyle relays.

Sam Gottlieb doubled in winning the 200 individual medley and 100 breaststroke while Tom Dziadkowiec captured first-place finishes in both the 200 freestyle and 100 butterfly. Both freshmen also swam legs on the Titans’ victorious 200 medley and 200 freestyle relay teams.

Sophomore James Hiney was Eastlake’s top finisher in the 500 freestyle while Diego Torres on the 50 freestyle. Chula Vista’s Alex Martinez won the boys division competition.

Junior Julie Williamson leads the returners on the Titan girls team, which recorded a 127-55 win against the Spartans. However, it is an influx of talented freshmen who give the 2003 squad its bite.

Dani Kimmel, one of those impact newcomers, captured both the 50 freestyle and 100 breaststroke events in Wednesday’s meet — nearly setting a personal best in the latter event. Alexis Gackstetter won the backstroke event  while Andrea Williamson won the 200 IM. Another underclassman, sophomore Yvette Moreno, had the top time in the butterfly event.

Eastlake’s Samantha Womer, Ashley Perez and Maura Dumas swept the top three scoring positions in the girls dive card. Womer, the defending Metro champion, scored a meet-best 166.8 points, followed by Perez with 141.85 points.

Senior Vanessa Young — the 2002-03 Metro girls water polo Player of the Year — doubled for Chula Vista in winning the 200 and 500 freestyle events. Chelsey Rask captured the 100 freestyle for the Spartans, who fell to 3-3 in both boys and girls competition this spring despite a flurry of best times in Wednesday’s meet.