The school’s swim and dive team (2-0) competed in their first-ever home meet at the San Dieguito Union High School District Aquatic Center last Friday and secured a victory against the Del Norte High School Nighthawks (1-1). The girls junior varsity (JV) won 114-57, the boys JV won 136-33, the girls varsity won 130-53 and the boys varsity won 113-72, contributing to the overall team win.
The events the athletes participated in were as followed: the 200 yard medley relay, the 200 yard freestyle, the 200 yard individual medley, the 50 yard freestyle, diving events, the 100 yard butterfly, the 100 yard freestyle, the 500 yard freestyle, the 200 yard freestyle relay, the 100 yard backstroke, the 100 yard breaststroke and the 400 yard freestyle relay.
The Aquatic Center, complete with a 15-lane swimming pool, locker rooms, two diving boards, a concession stand, bleachers and a first-aid station, opened on Jan. 27. The swim and dive teams practice there in the mornings and afternoons, making for a shorter commute for the majority of athletes than in previous seasons when the team had to train at the Solana Beach Boys and Girls Club facility. Additionally, the school district’s various swim teams will be able to hold official “home meets” at the pool.
Varsity head coach Richard Contreras coached the program for 30 years and noticed a shift in morale at the first-ever home meet.
“The team performed really well,” Contreras said. “There was a lot of excitement in the days leading up to the meet, and I think competing at home with this excitement translated to faster swimming.”
There were many first-place finishes for the team, and varsity swimmer Aya Ferguson (12) contributed to the following wins: the girls varsity 200 yard freestyle relay, 400 yard freestyle relay, 200 yard freestyle and 100 yard freestyle.
“This first meet at home was probably one of the most exciting meets I’ve been to,” Ferguson said. “Cheering on our relays was a highlight, as the team dynamic is really strong during moments like those. I also think the whole meet was a highlight as we have been anxiously anticipating the building of this pool for so long.”
The boys varsity team also emerged victorious in many events.
“One highlight was the very competitive varsity boys 500 free event,” Contreras said. “A standout was Justin Stein (10), swimming a [high school] lifetime best time in this event of 4:49:61.”
Varsity swimmer Ava Fergerson (11) competed at the meet and thought the first home event at the new pool was “extra special.”
“It was a huge morale booster,” Fergerson said. “It was really exciting to see random people there. [There was a] class that stopped by to see us swim, and random people who were finished with sports practices. The support and ability to compete at the school made it feel like the swim team was more integrated into the TP community.”
This integration amounted to “over 200 fans” present at the meet to watch the athletes “put on a great show,” according to Contreras.
“Being able to simply walk across campus and be able to call this pool our home makes me feel immense gratitude towards this sport and the school,” Ferguson said. “All of us are so proud to represent TP with this sport and are excited to continue using this pool with many more meets and practices to come.”
