Swimmers make a splash in season opener

Granite Hills’ Aidan Keane touched first in four events to help the Eagles speed past the visiting West Hills Wolf Pack in the teams’ Grossmont Hills League season opener on Feb. 26.

The high school swim season seemingly picked up right from where it left off last March for the Granite Hills High School swim and dive team after sweeping visiting West Hills in a Grossmont Hills League dual meet on Feb. 26.

The Eagles won the boys contest by a score of 134-49 and completed the sweep with a 118- 62 victory on the girls side.

Final scores were not neces­sarily the focus, however.

“Being the first league meet of the season, our swimmers were happy to be competing,” GHHS girls varsity coach Cathy Elgas said. “We had some nice swims and are working hard to get bet­ter each week. We are hoping to break a few school records in the next couple weeks. The boys and girls have some qual­ity freshman that add depth. It should be an exciting season as long as everyone stays healthy.”

The last sentence remains key to success amid the ongo­ing COVID-19 pandemic.

The contest at the Georgette Torres Aquatic Center took place under new health and safety protocols issued by the California Department of Public Health and the San Diego Sec­tion. Despite all the new rules and regulations, the meet re­tained a tremendous amount of atmosphere on deck.

It looked and felt like a regu­lar high school swim meet, part of the “new normal” society now has to embrace.

Top swimmers for Granite Hills included Aidan Keane, Riley Thompson, Cavan Cox, Braden Felio, Andrew Stinnett, Lucas Johnson and Teagan Pen­nings on the boys side and Erin Kluge, Rachel Sapper, Izzy Cox, Chloe Morgan, Delaney Fry, Brooke McCoy and Korinne Mc­Carty on the girls side.

All either won individual events or were part of a winning relay team.

Kluge and Izzy Cox each won four events on the girls side of the meet while Keane, Thomp­son and Felio emerged from the water as four-event winners on the boys side.

Cavan Cox and Sapper both were three event winners.

MAKING A SPLASH

Keane, who seems poised to break school records in his ca­reer, captured first-place fin­ishes in the 500-yard freestyle (4:55.83) and 100 backstroke (57.76) while Thompson dou­bled in winning the 200 indi­vidual medley (2:10.67) and 100 butterfly (1:00.11)

Felio, an impact freshman, tied for first place in the 50 free­style (23.57) and later won the 100 freestyle (50.82).

Kluge recorded an individual double in the 200 IM (2:10.97) and 100 butterfly (58.77) while Izzy Cox doubled in winning the 50 freestyle (25.64) and 100 free­style (56.00).

Sapper touched with the top time in the 100 breast­stroke (1:10.61) and finished sec­ond in the 200 freestyle (2:06.61) while Morgan emerged victori­ous in the 500 freestyle (5:34.13) and placed third in the 200 IM (2:25.12).

Cavan Cox won the 200 free­style in 1:56.26 and placed sec­ond in the 500 freestyle (5:17.48) while Stinnett won the 100 breaststroke (1:07.01).

In relay events, the foursome of McCoy, Sapper, Kluge and Izzy Cox combined to claim victory in the 200 (4×50) med­ley relay in 1:53.38 while Kluge, Fry, McCoy and Cox comprised the winning quartet in the 200 (4×50) freestyle relay in 1:45.08.

Morgan, McCarty, Fry and Sapper won the 400 (4×100) freestyle relay in 4:06.35.

Keane, Stinnett, Thompson and Felio stroked to victory in the medley relay in 1:46.04 while Cavan Cox, Stinnett, Johnson and Pennings combined to post the top time in the 4×50 free­style relay in 1:38.32.

Thompson, Cox, Felio and Keane swam to victory in the 4×100 freestyle relay.

On the girls side, McCoy placed second in the 500 free­style (5:41.82) and third in the backstroke (1:06.11) while Fry placed second in the 100 free­style (58.77) and fourth in the backstroke (1:06.43).

On the boys side, Pennings finished second in the boys IM (2:17.92) and second in the breaststroke (1:08.82) while Johnson placed third in the boys 100 freestyle (56.68) and fourth in the 200 freestyle (2:07.93).

Also, Vaughan Clark fin­ished second in the backstroke (1:03.16) and third in the but­terfly (1:01.54) while Owen Bog­geln placed second in the 100 butterfly (1:01.51) and third in the breaststroke (1:09.16).

“We have some pretty young talent, which is exciting to watch,” Eagles boys coach Rhett Gaeir said. “Unfortunately, we don’t have the depth we have had in the past. But we feel we have the potential to win league. We’re just happy to be here.”

DIVE CARD

In the diving competition, 11 student-athletes competed, including nine from the host Eagles.

Granite Hills recorded the top two finishers in the girls dive card, with Isabella Kamahi plac­ing first with 186 points ahead of Kelly Henderson with 177.10 points.

The Eagles swept the top three place-finishes on the boys dive card: Luke Knierim fin­ished first with 173.90 points while Gage Mowrey finished second with 167.15 points. Jo­seph Alvernaz rounded out the field in third place.

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