Local scholastic swim teams look to sink the competition this spring in the pool.
At La Jolla Country Day School, the Torreys and head coach Nate Heppner finished fourth on the boys side last season and third on the girls side in Eastern League competition.
“Our women’s team should have a strong team this year, returning All-League performers Chelsea Burns (junior, sprint freestyle events) and Melissa Berkay (sophomore, butterfly, backstroke),” Heppner noted. “Returning junior Melanie Kaplan is a consistent threat in the distance free events, and junior transfer Norae Shakur will be strong in both sprint free and butterfly.”
Heppner also expects to be strong in the breaststroke event with junior Caroline Acheatel, sophomore Hallie Stevens and freshman Amanda Solomon. Sophomores Claire Altree (freestyle) and Olivia Lenz (backstroke) should be consistent scorers in dual meets as well.
“Our men’s team is in a rebuilding year, having lost several key members from last year’s team,” Heppner said. “We should see strong performances from returning CIF qualifiers Ronny Clausner (senior, freestyle) and Ryan Frace (junior, backstroke).
“Sophomores Henry Clausner and Jihoon Yoon will be standouts in the breaststroke event, with junior Owen Qi adding depth in the backstroke and mid-distance freestyle.”
At The Bishop’s School, the Knights and head coach Chad Bishop opened their season this past Tuesday in a match-up with Patrick Henry.
Look for Alex Pulido and Kevin May to lead the boys team this season, while Ellie Elgamel will be a factor for the girls squad.
The Knights face University City next Tuesday, March 27, then take on rival La Jolla High on March 29.
” Editor’s note: La Jolla High did not provide information for this story.