LODI – Ripon won the boys and girls Division III Frosh-Soph Swimming Championships on Saturday and the Sierra girls were fourth in girls Division II Frosh-Soph at Tokay High School.
The Indians boys frosh-soph team was led primarily by members of the school’s water polo team.
“Most of the water polo boys that participated in last year’s Division III championships came out today and swam well,” Ripon coach Erik Zador said. “In all reality they are just a bunch of water polo boys.
“This was awesome. Unexpected but awesome. This is a good group of young kids that are coming through and we are excited about the future.”
Ripon’s Ben Svoboda was seventh in the 100-yard freestyle (50.81 seconds) and eighth in the 200 freestyle (1:54.57). Svoboda was on the sixth-place 200 medley relay (1:46.01) with Brody Biedermann, Ben Rodgers and Teo West and on the seventh-place 400 freestyle relay with Biedermann, West and Nathan Selna.
“I feel like I swam better yesterday,” Svoboda said. “But I am not disappointed with how I swam today. This gives me motivation to come back out Monday and get back at it.”
West was 12th in the 100 breaststroke (1:06.01) and Biedermann was 13th in the 100 backstroke (1:00.07). Michael Chavez was 14th in the varsity 100 freestyle (48.44) for the Indians.
“I was pretty fast on the first part of the race,” Chavez said. “But then I got a little tight and I didn’t finish strong but it was a solid time.”
Valerie Chun and Crystallynn Tran paced the Ripon frosh-soph girls.
“We have a great young group of girls,” Zador said. “They have been working hard all season, grinding away, and it showed today.
“It will be fun to see them grow and get better so we can come back next year and be stronger.”
Chun was third in the 100 butterfly (58.53) and eighth in the 200 freestyle (2:01.01).
“I was a little tired from yesterday,” Chun said. “I still did the best that I could.
“We have worked since December for this,” Chun said. “It was worth it and I wouldn’t have been able to do it without Crystallynn.”
Tran was fifth in the 100 butterfly (1:00.42) and was on the seventh-place 400-relay with Chun, Kennedy Winter and Samantha Scheid.
“It is fun swimming with Valerie,” Tran said. “We’re both working hard together and competing together is also fun.”
Ripon placed 11th in the varsity 400 free relay (3:54.01) with Taylor Blair, Mia Sickler-Lopez, Kennedy Brubaker and Hailey Knief.
Jennifer Graves was the workhorse for the Sierra with a sixth-place finish in the 200 free (1:59.59), a seventh-place finish in the 500 freestyle (5:27.13) and she was on the 12th-place 200 medley relay (2:03.94) and the 15th-place 200 freestyle relay (1:51.03) with Gianna Ramos, Keira Brink and Amy Fadeff. Brink finished 12th in the 50 freestyle (26.48).
“I came out a little too slow,” Graves said of her 500. “So my pace was a little off but that was OK.
“This was exciting coming out of last year when we really didn’t have a year. And when I move up to varsity it I will see the girls I competed against this year and it will be good to see how they do.”
The Timberwolves coaching staff was pleased with their fifth-place effort.
“I and (co-head coaches) Lauren (Koury) and Corey (Winter) are very excited about it,” Sierra coach Dave Breitenbucher said. “The girls have worked very hard this season.
“It is great to see them rewarded for all their hard work.”
