The swim season for both the boys and girls teams is in full swing. Both of the teams were eager to start the season and get one step closer to the goal of a CIF victory.
On the boys side of things, the Capo Valley High School preliminary meet started on Feb. 29. The goal of the preliminary round is to advance to the finals, which was held the next day on the first of Feb.
The day’s first event was the 200-yard medley relay, in which the boys got disqualified. With an unlucky start, the boys received 0 points.
Next, the boys participated in the 200-yard free relay, in which they did very well, picking up 5th place overall and 26 points for the team.
The Wolverines proceeded to earn third place in breaststroke, sixth place in fly relay, sixth place in backstroke, and third in freestyle.
In all, the boys finished eighth place overall out of fifteen for the prelims. Aliso then moved on to the finals.
Jackson Geiger (12) gave insight into what it’s like to prepare before a meet. “Before a race, I like to close my eyes and repeat to myself ‘I am speed’ just like Lightning McQueen does. Then I pound a Redbull and hope for the best.”
Geiger surely has speed, standing out at both the prelims and the finals for Aliso.
Aliso is led by Kenneth Tse (12) and coached by John Puffer.
On the girls side, they had the same meet, except starting on Feb 28.
For the first meet of the year, the girls started with the same event as the boys, the 200-yard medley relay; of which they finished in the middle of the pack.
Aliso did slightly worse in the second race, only picking up 22 points on the freestyle relay.
For the breaststroke relay, the girls also placed in the middle of the pack, with 24 points. What hurt the girls the most was the disqualification during the fly relays.
However, the girls fired back most emphatically in the next event, recording a program high, boys and girls got a second-place finish in the backstroke event.
Aliso then performed in the middle of the pack again to close off the meet in style, picking up 24 more points to finish. To conclude the prelims, the girls picked up seventh place.
In the events that Aliso did the best on, they got the chance to swim again in the finals taking place on March 1.
Gabi Lueken (11) shared insight into her thoughts before a meet, “I am personally excited because we have a real chance to beat all of the teams, but everyone has to swim our best in order to do so. It will definitely take a collective effort in order to come home with a win.”
Both Aliso Boys and Girls have an upcoming meet against Dana Hills as well as Capo Valley in the upcoming weeks.
