If only Czsarina Isleta could dive.
She probably would have, had Sobrato girls swim coach Bonnie Ireland asked her to on March 9, the day the Bulldogs suffered their only dual-meet loss of 2012 to Willow Glen.
“We had no divers at that point, so they won,” Ireland recalled. “If it was based on swimming, we won.
“And no,” she added with a smile, “Czsarina can’t dive.”
Isleta has done just about everything else this spring as evident in her growing list of Central Coast Section qualifying marks. The junior, who is rarely seen out of the water at meets, will be eligible to swim in six wide-ranging events at the CCS Championships, scheduled for May 11-12 at the Santa Clara International Swim Center. Isleta picked up her latest qualifying standards while winning the 200-yard medley relay and the 200 freestyle in Friday’s 143-22 victory over Del Mar at a sun-drenched Sobrato High School.
A quiet team player, Isleta was happier to see the medley relay of Lauren Akin, Devon MacDonald, Christiana Bridges and herself make the cut in 2:01.40 – less than a tenth of a second under the standard.
“It was great because all the girls were working at it pretty hard,” Isleta said. “Practice made it happen, and we got it.”
The CCS Championships will be a homecoming of sorts for Isleta, who is a member of Santa Clara Swim Club. On top of the medley relay and 200 free, she has also qualified in the 100 butterfly, 200-yard individual medley, 400-free relay and her specialty, the 100 breaststroke. She can swim in only four events at sectionals, so Isleta is most excited for the individual medley.
“You get to show off everything,” she said. “If you’re good at all the strokes, you’ll be pretty good at the IM.”
The win punctuated a 6-1 finish in Santa Teresa Division dual meets for the Bulldogs, who will be in the running for a team title in next Saturday’s league finals at Independence High School.
With five CCS qualifiers – and one capable diver in Brittney Doutt – Ireland likes her team’s chances.
“We knew we had some strong swimmers coming in this year,” the second-year SHS coach said. “From the beginning, I knew we could take first as a team.”
The Sobrato boys are all but guaranteed to do just that next week after they trounced Del Mar 133-11 Friday to finish 7-0.
The final score was second, however, in the mind of Patrick Read, who entered the meet as Sobrato’s only sectional qualifier.
“It’d mean a lot to get more guys into CCS because, right now, I’m the only one going,” he said with a laugh after he, Adam Jasper, Gio Chau and Connor Bleeg came within a second of advancing in the medley relay. “I was hoping to actually have a team to go with me. I’m keeping them pumped up.”
Minutes later, Jasper made good on his teammate’s wish in the 100 free. Jasper met the standard (50.37) by two hundredths of a second.
After switching from his normal spot to anchor in the 200-free relay, Read touched the wall first at 1:35.34 –five hundredths under the standard – and punched a couple more tickets to CCS.
The Bulldogs have two more chances to make the cut in the Santa Teresa Division time trials and championship heats.
“I think the week off should help,” SHS boys coach Dave Letts said. “The yardage goes down, and the kids get pumped for league.”
Along with the 200- and 400-free relays, Jasper and Read won four events Friday, with Read touching first in the 100 fly, his best swim.
Isleta took part in winning the medley and 400-free relays, and also won the 200 free and 100 breast. Bridges was first in the 50 free, 500 free and the 400-free relay.
- Live Oak will compete in the Mount Hamilton Division Finals on Friday and Saturday at Gunderson High School. Competition begins at 11:30 a.m. both days.
