Blue Devil swimmers “set the record,” win double-dual meet
By Claire Alongi and Owen Yancher,
BlueDevilHUB.com Staff–
Swimming in a double-dual meet against both Pleasant Grove and Grant, the Davis High men’s and women’s swim teams both gathered two league wins on Wednesday, April 5.
With only two swimmers to represent Grant on both the men and women’s sides, DHS thrashed the Pacers, the men winning 79-1 and the women 77-1. Pleasant Grove put up more of a fight, but the Blue Devils still took down the Eagles; the varsity men won 69-22 and the women 55-38.
Wednesday’s meet was the DHS swim team’s first annual “break the record night,” an event many Davis sports teams have adopted into their schedules to encourage spectator turnout.
The swim team had set a goal of 17 attendees prior to the meet, which was quickly shattered as attendance spiked well into the high 90s.
With spirits bolstered by the high number of attendees, seniors Owen Yancher and Henry Burke volunteered to race the 500-freestyle (20 laps) as a 500-butterfly to fundraiser for new team kickboards. While Burke swam the 500-fly straight through, Yancher stopped periodically to be fed various items, including sushi, a carrot and mustard, shot directly from the container.
“The 500 fly was a way for us to get people to come out and watch,” Burke said. “Many of my friends have never seen a swim meet before, so it was nice to have them come out to see what we’re all about.”
Besides the 500 race, another notable Blue Devil swim was the women’s 400-freestyle relay. Senior Maddy Stoltz, junior Claire Alongi, sophomore Sammie Needham and freshman Kieanna Pineda combined to win the relay in come-from-behind fashion, out-touching Pleasant Grove by just a hair thanks to Pineda’s astounding finish.
On the men’s side, junior Brenden Carsel took first in the 100-backstroke. Senior Sean Li took the 100-freestyle and junior Sean Kos earned the top time in the 100-butterfly.
For the Lady Blue Devils, junior Claire McElhern (100-butterfly, 100-backstroke), sophomore Laurel Krovetz (100-breaststroke) and Stoltz (500-freestyle), each won their respective events.
This pair of wins secures the DHS men’s team (5-1) its fifth league win, with only a loss to close loss to Jesuit. The DHS women’s team (6-0) remains undefeated.
Davis will compete in Roseville this weekend at the Northern California Championships Invitational at Summer Sanders Aquatics Complex.
Davis is set to host the Delta League swimming championships at Arroyo Pool on April 28 and 29.
