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By Ana Rocha
By Ana Rocha
Swim season has now come to an end, but not without setting some excellent times and leaving an awesome performance for the season that will not be forgotten. However, the men surpassed all expectations and did not want to end the season without some permanent records.A total of 16 performers made it to state this season, six men and ten women. Among this team members was Michelle Loera who placed fourth in conference. Loera is not a swimmer, but a diver, the only diver who made it to state this year. Not only that, but this is also her first year on the swim team.”To qualify for state in her very first year is very good,” women’s coach David Almquist said.The swim teams also had great performances at the conference meet at Saddleback on the weekend of April 28. The women’s team was only 16 points away from winning conference, but was unable to conquer the championship. While the men’s team placed 10th. Orange Coast won both the men and women’s Conference Championships.”In the conference meet our girls got second place, we lost, it was close, it was 629 to 613, so we lost by a few points,” Almquist said.Though neither the men nor the women were able to win as a team at conference, there were some individual performances who won at that meet. Krista Cabagay placed second in the breaststroke and the men’s 400 medley relay by Jason Lyons, Mike Looy, Jurica Mazuran and Buddy Olds won. Though not all relay times won at conference all of them did qualify for state.”Our relays, we’re very strong,” Almquist said.Once at state Championships held at Diablo Valley on the weekend of May 5-7, the team did not loose grip on their performances. The women placed seventh at state, while the men placed eighth. Loera continued with her great diving performances and was fifth on the one meter board and sixth on the three-meter board.”She did a wonderful job,” Almquist said.The 800-freestyle relay swam by Megan Robles, Meagan Cranmer, Stuursma and Tara Noble placed fourth at state.”We swam real well, and that’s really all you can ask for, is for you to swim your best,” Almquist said. “I was real pleased.”The men also had great swims, but the most outstanding performances over the state championships meet was the great number of records set all on a single and last weekend of the swim season. The broken records did not only include individuals but also team records were broken. A total of nine records were broken.Lyons was the swimmer that broke the most school records this season, including the 200 backstroke record. This particular record had not been broken since 1980.”We set more records this year than we’ve previously set in any of the eight years that I’ve been there,” men’s coach Tom Bordem said.The performances were so outstanding through out the season and at state that all six of the team members who performed at state are on the All-American list of times. This list includes the top 16 times in the country.”We did a fantastic job,” Bordem said.
