After two years of domination by Valencia in both the girls’ and boys’ meets, it was Hart’s turn to take home the team titles at the Foothill League Championships on Thursday.
Girls’ Meet
The girls’ meet was even closer than it was last year, with the title on the line up to the last event. Once again, Valencia and Hart ran neck-to-neck throughout the contest, but Hart’s victory in the 400 free relay clinched the meet. Valencia was leading 469-465 leading up to the final event, and the league title would go to the winner of the relay. Hart’s Alyssa Schultz (52.66), Grace Hill (53.72), Stephanie Skarshaug (4.83), and Brooke Helgeson (53.04) came through with a 3:34.25 for the win, holding off West Ranch (3:38.00) and Valencia (3:38.22).
Schultz earned a pair of individual wins with her third consecutive 200 free title and her fourth 500 free title. She went 1:52.09 in the 200 to edge teammate Helgeson (1:52.59) and Sophia Morici of West Ranch (1:52.74). Later she won the 500 in 4:56.46. Helgeson was again runner-up (5:05.33); this time it was Hart’s Hill in third with 5:13.53.
Valencia’s Julia Wolf earned two individual titles as well, grabbing wins in the 50 and 100 freestyles. She was nearly a body length ahead of the field in the 50, clocking a 23.61, ahead of Jennifer Wong of West Ranch (24.48) and Sonaly Wintermute of Valencia (24.65). In the 100 free Wolf hit the wall in 52.05; Wong was second with 53.77, while Dani Merlo of Hart took third with 54.41.
Canyon’s Alexa Neely crushed the field in the 200 IM, going 2:04.35 for the win. Hailey Chua of Valencia (2:11.75) and Allison Schepper of Saugus (2:12.87) followed. Neely was runner-up in the 100 breast; Chua was third.
West Ranch’s Morici won a tight race in the 100 fly with 57.06; Wintermute was runner-up with 57.45, while Valencia’s Kaila Wong was third in 57.61. West Ranch scored another individual victory with Marika Van Gent’s 59.65 in the 100 back. Jennifer Yamauchi of Valencia placed second with 1:00.67 ahead of Sasha Kumar of Canyon (1:01.92). Valencia’s Wong was the 100 breast winner, going 1:02.87 to win by 3 body lengths.
Valencia won both the 200 medley relay and the 200 free relay. In the latter, Wolf, Wintermute, Christina Taylor and Wong broke the meet record with a combined 1:37.51.
Girls’ Team Scores
- Hart 505
- Valencia 501
- West Ranch 298
- Saugus 217
- Canyon 185
- Golden Valley 104
Boys’ Meet
Saugus opened and closed the meet with relay wins. The Centurions’ Zachary Zenteno (24.73), Tanner Olson (25.98), Justin Morsch (23.94), and Tim Lim (21.26) went 1:35.91 in the 200 medley relay to beat Valencia (1:37.51) and Hart (1:40.07). Later, Jarett Maycott (48.76), Beau Falco (46.76), David Aubrey (46.92), and Joey Osbron (45.30) combined for 3:07.74 in the 400 free relay, while Hart (3:11.45) and West Ranch (3:15.41) took second and third.
Adam Osowski of Hart doubled with wins in the 200 free and 500 free; in both cases he defeated the defending champions. He won the 200 in 1:39.94, after having set the meet record in prelims with 1:39.34. Valencia’s Johnny Ellery, last year’s champion, touched second in 1:40.39. Zenteno of Saugus just touched out Eric Sonheim of West Ranch, 1:43.43 to 1:43.66, for third. Osowski went 4:35.64 in the 500 to beat defending champion Ian Brower (4:41.28) and his brother, Cade Brower (4:45.93), of West Ranch.
Ellery went on to set the league record in the 100 fly with his winning 48.98. It was .27 faster than the two-day-old league mark he had set in prelims on Tuesday. Jonathan Quick of Hart was runner-up with 52.60, ahead of Justin Morsch from Saugus (53.23). Ellery’s teammate Kevin Dai won the 200 IM for the fourth time, this time going 1:52.40 to win by 3.3 seconds. Ian Brower of West Ranch came in second with 1:55.76, just edging Valencia’s Sak Holter (1:55.98). Dai doubled with a win in the 100 free as well, clocking a 46.21 to come in just ahead of Ryan Brimer of Hart (46.59).
Another two-event winner was Saugus’ Olson, who claimed victories in the 50 free (21.15) as well as the 100 breast (55.28). West Ranch’s Sonheim was runner-up with 21.85. Hart’s Max Brown and Lim of Saugus rounded out the podium, tied for third with 22.30.
Saugus scored another win when Zenteno just touched out Canyon’s Kevin Childs, 53.02 to 53.24, in the 100 back. Right there with them was Emilio Santoyo of Hart, who came in third with 53.51.
Valencia’s Dai (21.34), Ellery (21.07), Dylan Parente (22.43), and William Chung (21.66) combined for 1:26.50 to win the 200 free relay over Hart (1:27.29) and West Ranch (1:28.84).
Boys’ Team Scores
- Hart 439.5
- Valencia 415.5
- West Ranch 343.5
- Saugus 292.5
- Canyon 170
- Golden Valley 122
Hooray for open enrollment!