2015 CIF Central Coast Section Preview – Can Anyone Stop Bellarmine in its Quest for 31?

2015 California Interscholastic Federation Central Coast Section Swimming & Diving Championships

• Diving: Girls: Friday, May 15; Boys: Saturday, May 16
• Swimming: Trials – Friday, May 15, 2015; Finals – Saturday, May 16, 2015
• Location: Santa Clara International Swim Center
• Defending Champions: Girls – Monta Vista; Boys – Bellarmine (2014 results)
• Live Results: Available
• Championship Central

The team races were intense last year in the Central Section of California. On the boys’ side, Palo Alto came within 12 points of ending Bellarmine’s 29-year winning streak, and the drama was palpable until the very end. Monta Vista won the girls’ race outright, but Archbishop Mitty took second place by only a half a point over Gunn.

Scoring out the 2015 psych sheet, it would seem that Palo Alto, Bellarmine, and Gunn all have a shot at the boys’ title. But if Bellarmine plays it like they did last year, squeezing extra swimmers into “A” and “B” finals like no other, we are looking at 31 for the Bells.

On the girls’ side, it looks like Mitty might finally have the depth to move out from under the shadows of their recent second- and third-place finishes and take the section title. Palo Alto could give them a run for their money, though. All in all, the girls’ team race could prove to be the most exciting this year.

Girls’ Meet

Freestyle Events

In the sprints, Grace Zhao of Palo Alto comes in with the fastest seed time (23.25) by a half-second in the 50 free; Zhao won the event last year as a freshman. Freshmen Cathy Teng of Mitty and Claire Lin of Palo Alto are seeded second and third. In the 100, freshman Matte Snow of Sacred Heart (52.59) leads the entrants, with Paly’s Lin and Elizabeth Shen of Valley Christian close behind. Five seniors topped the field in last year’s final.

Mitty and Pioneer are poised to score big in the 200/500 freestyles. A trio of seniors lead the seedings in both events: Jennifer Campbell (Gunn), Sandra Soe (Pioneer), and Sarah Shimomura (Mitty). Last year, Campbell won the 200 free while Soe won the 500. Lauren Case of Mitty is also expected to score in the top eight.

Backstroke

Chloe Isleta of Presentation is seeded with the fastest time by 1.7 seconds; her 54.44 is a full second faster than her third-place finish at last year’s meet. Mountain View’s Vicky Wong, Mitty’s Lin, and Alex Grimes of Los Gatos will vie for the title, as will last year’s runner-up, Sophie Krivokapic-Zhou of Santa Clara.

Breaststroke

Defending champion Zhao of Paly comes in with the fastest seed time in the 100 breast (1:02.11); she is followed by Morganne MacKennan of Mitty, the 2014 runner-up. Zhao beat MacKennan by 1/100 in last year’s final: 1:02.58 to 1:02.59. Leland freshman Hannah Womer, Stefanie Ting of Saratoga, and Annalisa Perez of Pioneer should battle for third –or better.

Butterfly

With more than half of the 2014 “A” final already graduated, the field is wide open for a new champion this year; Krivokapic-Zhou of Santa Clara leads the qualifiers with 54.18. Los Gatos senior Grimes and Teng of Mitty are seeded about 1.5 seconds behind.

IM

Presentation junior Isleta is the top returning “A” finalist from 2014, and she also comes in with the fastest qualifying time (2:01.77). Freshman Vivian Wang of Harker and Zoe Lusk of Palo Alto, and sophomore Han Nguyen of Los Gatos, are also contenders for the title.

Boys’ Meet

Freestyle Events

The top 11 qualifiers in the 50 free are all under 22 seconds, but only Albert Gwo of Los Altos has been under 21 (20.51) so far this season. Gwo was runner-up in last year’s meet in a final that was almost all seniors. Alessio Iacovone of Burlingame and Joao Ama from Gunn are seeded second and third, but a whole host of contenders could score in this event.

In the 100 free, Defending champion Benjamin Ho of Saint Francis comes in with the only sub-45 (44.84), nearly a half-second faster than his winning time from last year. 2014 runner-up Gwo of Los Altos is seeded second, but Sheldon Boboff of St. Ignatius and Cooper Burrill of Bellarmine are just behind.

Bellarmine tends to dominate the 200/500; last year they had 2 and 3 in the respective “A” finals and this year they have the potential to do as well. Senior Aidan Burns, defending champion in both the 2 and the 5, is top seed in each again this year with 1:40.79 and 4:32.92. Sobrano’s Jarod Hatch occupies the second seed in both events. Boboff and Burrill are contenders in the 200, and 2014 runner-up Michael Messner of Bellarmine is in the running for the 500 crown.

Backstroke

Defending champion Benjamin Ho of Saint Francis leads the field in the 100 back with 49.63. Lucca Martins of Monta Vista and Andrew Cho of Palo Alto are seeded second and third.

Breaststroke

2014 runner-up Joe Kmak (57.20) from Serra comes in seeded a full second faster than the rest of the field. Maximilian Pokutta from Gunn and Christopher Green of Pioneer are seeded second and third. Monta Vista’s Keven Shang and St. Ignatius’ Morgan Kwong, the only other returning “A” finalists from last year, will also have a shot at the podium this year.

Butterfly

The 100 fly might be the closest race on the boys’ side, with juniors Xiangfei Xie of Saratoga (49.31), Chistopher Staka of Aptos (49.47) and Daichi Matsuda of Gunn (49.90) seeded at the top.  Staka and Matsuda finished second and third last year.

IM

Paly’s Alex Liang (1:49.23) leads the 200 IM qualifiers by 1.5 seconds. Liang competed in the 200/500 frees last year. Monta Vista’s Martins and Saratoga’s Xie are seeded second and third, with Gunn’s Trent Trosky and Bellarmine’s Messner not too far back.