East County Sports

Granite at CIF State, Garcia-Hale repeats

Granite Hills swim coach Cathy Elgas during the dedication of the Granite Hills Aquatics Complex from 2012 / GHAC courtesy photo

UPDATED
2022 EAST COUNTY PREP SWIMMING

 

At the CIF state championship at Clovis West HS are members of the Granite Hills 200 free relay team — and a dude.. why it’s Sam Walker of Christian High; he was part of both Patriots relay teams which also qualified for the state meet in Division 2. / GHHS Aquatics courtesy photo

UPDATE: Granite Hills girls swimming coach Cathy Elgas reports that the Eagles 200 free relay squad also qualified for the CIF state championships. They are  (from left): Delaney Fry (sophomore), Izzy Cox (junior), Erin Kluge (senior), and Brooke McCoy (sophomore). In the middle is Sam Walker of Christian High, who also qualified for the state meet in Division II as a member of two Patriots relay teams.

Although the Eagles failed to medal, they did set a personal best clocking of 1:43.55  at the CIF State  meet held at Clovis West High in Fresno, May 13-14.


ECS staff report

EL CAJON — The CIF San Diego Section recently held its annual swimming championship meets at Granite Hills High, which is celebrating the 10th anniversary of the dedication of the Granite Hills Aquatics Center, an Olympic-size, 50-meter by 25-yard pool.

The Grossmont Conference found just a single individual champion, as Maya Garcia Hale of the host Eagles repeated as titlist in the 500 free.

A total of six meet records were established, including five in the Division I competition held May 5.

In the team competition, it was a luke-warm finish for Grossmont Conference schools.

On the boys side,Granite Hills, the Grossmont Hills League dual meet champions, (77 points) finished in 10th place, with Valhalla just one point back their arch-rivals for an 11th-place finish.

On the girls, side, the host Eagles, which was also the GHL dual meet chapions, placed sixth overall in the team D-1 standings, with 178 points. Valhalla (155) finished seventh, while Helix (102) placed in 10th place.


Individuals

In Girls Division I action, Helix senior Maya Garcia Hale repeated as the gold medalist in the 500-free (5:00.74). She glided to a victory margin of four seconds, as her time by almost equal to her 2021 mark, falling just one second short..

Still, Garcia Hale qualified for the state meet, as the San Diego Section will send its three three finishers in both divisions to the state meet, to be held at Grossmont Hills League in Fresno on May 12-14.

Garcia-Hale, who placed third in last year’s 200 free (1:53.83), was involved in a battle for supremacy in the section finals with Helix sophomore Riley Hull, who placed eighth in both the 200 and 500 free events in last season’s finals.

Hull placed sixth in this year’s 500 free finale (5:09.31) after finishing third in the preceding 200 free (1:55.98.

Garcia-Hale also touched 10th overall in the 100 breast final as the runner-up in the consolation race (1:09.05).

She also swam legs on the Helix 400 free relay (fifth, 3:41.88) and 200 medley relay (11th, 1:57.29).

Hull, senior Gabby Morales and sophomore Linda Eisenhamer joined Garcia-Hale in the 400 free relay lineup while sophomore Savannah Ruiz joined Hull, Eisenhamer and GarciaHale in the medley lineup.

Helix’s league championship boys 200 free relay team, consisting of junior Baxter Orvell, sophomore Asher Eaton, junior Cameron Drake and sophomore Esequiel Antunez, finished seventh (1:31.08) to just miss the school record.

Other Highlanders individual performances of note saw Drake in the 500 free (eighth, 4:44.52) and 200 free (10th, 1:46.06), Riggins in the 100 fly (12th, 53.05), and Eaton in the 100 free (14th, le in 49.98).

In the DiviisonII meet, Christian High placed fifth in the boys field thanks to the champion Patriots 200 free relay unit (1:25.11)of Lucas Colombo, Sam Walker, Kai Damata and Ian Mullen.

Colombo also claimed first place in the boys 200 IM with a state-qualifying time of 1:53.68.

Mullen (20.96) was third in the 50 free while Walker was third in the 500 free (4:54.27).

The Valhalla girls saw Rachel Munch earn a pair of second-place finishes in 200 IM ad 100 free.

The lone D-2 record was by The Bishop’s senior Lucas Brown in the boys 50 free (20.02).

— Compiled by Nick Pellegrino

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