Morgan Hill – The Long Course season is past the halfway point,
and Mako swimmers are enjoying the results of early season
work.
Morgan Hill – The Long Course season is past the halfway point, and Mako swimmers are enjoying the results of early season work. 16 swimmers participated in the meet this weekend, most experienced personal best times and some great races.
Mako parents were noisy, happy, supportive, and showed a lot of class helping other teams with timing and marshalling.
Prashan Welipitiya (13) snagged a new B time in the 200 IM, and largely swam out of his mind with monstrous drops all weekend.
Derek Bowman (14) placed eighth in the 200M Breaststroke and fourth in the 100M Breast. Devon McDonald (11) earned three new B times in her new age group, and enjoyed five personal bests. Karen McElheny (14) swam to personal best’s in six events.
Tanner Fry (8) earned two new B times with three personal bests. Sesa Ferdun (9) raced to a new B time in the 50 Fly, and her older sister Rima (13) did the same in the 50 Free. Gabrielle Smith (11) got four personal best’s despite recently returning from a lengthy break. Kooper Knutson plucked off three personal best’s in three events.
Highlighting the efforts this weekend for the Makos were Rachel Cretcher (13) and Christiana Bridges (11). Rachel swam to five PB’s in nine events, including two new AA times, qualifying for more events in for the Junior Olympic and smashing her old times in the 800 and 1500M Freestyle events. Rachel placed second in the 1500, Seventh in both the 400 IM and 800, and left the meet tired but happy.
Christiana Bridges enjoyed a tremendous meet for the Makos this weekend.
After aging up into the very competitive 11 – 12 year old girls division, she has been working hard in workouts and improving radically the last couple months, Christiana swam to eight personal bests in eight swims.
Included in these swims were a 17 second drop in 400 IM and a nine-second drop in the 100 back stroke.
Bridges definitely saved the best for last. In the last Mako swim of the weekend, she dropped 20 seconds in the 400M Free to capture her first ever Junior Olympic qualifying time.
Next up for the Makos are the Coast Valley Aquatic League (CVAL) Tri Meets.
Makos that are close to qualifying for the Junior Olympics, Far Western Championships will be taking part in a last ditch qualifying effort July 6th, and after that it’s into the Championship Meet Season, with Junior Olympics July 19 – 22, and the CVAL Championship and Far Westerns in August.
