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A swimmer competes during Friday's California Central Conference meet between Pitman High and Turlock High.   |
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POSTED
April 19, 2011 10:44 p.m.
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This was a perfect way to end the regular swimming season: Pitman High vs. Turlock High.
Fortunately for the Pride, they earned wins in both the boys and girls divisions, though coaches from both sides say they were satisfied with the way their swimmers competed at Turlock High’s Steve Feaver Aquatic Center on Friday afternoon.
The Pitman boys won 112-66 for their first Central California Conference win of the season in five tries, while the Pitman girls captured a 101-82 victory to give them a 3-1 record in the league. Now, the girls just need to top undefeated Merced High at this week’s league championships at Buhach Colony High, with the finals starting at 1 p.m. Thursday.
The Pride girls, however, know the Bears are a tough challenge.
“We’re still in the running,” Pitman girls coach Michaela Solario said. “But Merced is a pretty good team. We’re trying hard and see how far we can go.”
At Friday’s meet, Kamarin Waite was the sole multi-event winner for the Pride, as she captured the 200-meter medley and the 500-meter freestyle races. The Pride also won the 200-meter and 400-meter relays, while Brittany Funk and Leanna Jaske-Rhysdahl also had wins in the 200 freestyle and 100 butterfly, respectively.
The Pitman boys had a tougher time, winning by 19 points. Zach Haselwood (50 freestyle), Scott Van Winkle (100 freestyle), Tyler Jamieson (100 backstroke) and Max Rodriguez (100 breaststroke) all notched victories in their respective events. The Pride also won the 400-meter relay.
Pitman boys coach Drew Clute said the win was a necessary one, since the Pride have had to deal with a low number of swimmers all season — something that has affected their ability to come out on top.
“With that said,” he began, “I’m really proud of the guys for working hard until the very end.”
Turlock also finished with multi-event winners. For the boys, Grant Phillips captured the 200 IM and 500 freestyle, while Jacy Gustafson finished with wins in the 100 freestyle and 100 backstroke in the girls competition. Davis Woods and Leilani Almeida won the diving titles for the boys and girls divisions, respectively.
Besides those marks, the Bulldogs had a number of success stories.
“We had a great swim meet,” Turlock coach Sonja Raynes said. “We had people dropping times.”
To contact Chhun Sun, e-mail csun@turlockjournal.com or call 634-9141 ext. 2041.
