Sports
Future is bright for CCS swimmers with big points back
ATHLETES OF THE WEEK
by Keith Peters s good as the 2013 Central Coast Section Swimming and Diving Championships were for local teams, next year could be even better. The five area girls teams — Menlo-Atherton, Gunn, Palo Alto, Sacred Heart Prep and Castilleja — are losing only a combined 74.5 of the 641 points they scored. For the boys, exclude Castilleja and those squads will be missing only 129.5 of the 456 tallied last Saturday. Of the 1,097 total points scored by local boys and girls, 893 will be back in 2014. The Menlo-Atherton girls, meanwhile, return all of their 175 point while the Paly boys have 176 of their 227 coming back. “The future does look bright for our CCS swimmers,� said M-A first-year coach Lori Stenstrom. The M-A girls definitely will challenge for a section title after finishing fourth last weekend at the George F. Haines International Aquatic Center in Santa Clara. The Paly boys also will continue their quest of unseating Bellarmine, winners of 29 straight CCS titles, after finishing second for a 10th time. While the Bears and Vikings missed out on team honors, juniors Ally Howe of Sacred Heart Prep and Andrew Liang of Palo Alto left their marks while staking claim to even better performances next year after each swam away with two individual titles. Howe arguably had the best individual effort in the girls’ competition as she was involved in four school records, one section record and just missed a national mark. Howe came within a breath of setting an Independent School (private) national record when she sped
A
Ally Howe
Nico Robinson
Sacred Heart Prep
Sacred Heart Prep
The junior swimmer won the 200 IM with a school record and broke her own section mark in the 100 back, just missing a national mark by .02, and swam on relays that also set school marks at the CCS Championships.
The senior track standout won the 110 high hurdles (14.58) and 300 IH (38.63) with meet records, won the long jump and tied for first in the high jump while scoring 39 points to help win the WBAL title by 12 points.
Honorable mention Caroline Cummings
Andrew Buchanan
Sacred Heart Prep lacrosse
Menlo golf
Annalisa Crowe
Patrick Fuery
Menlo-Atherton track & field
Maddy Price
Palo Alto golf
Bradley Knox
Menlo track & field
Sarah Robinson Gunn track & field
Brooke Stenstrom* Menlo-Atherton swimming
Brigid White
Sacred Heart Prep golf
Andrew Liang* Palo Alto swimming
Daniel Morkovine Menlo tennis
Nick Sullivan
Sacred Heart Prep lacrosse
Palo Alto track & field * previous winner
To see video interviews of the Athletes of the Week, go to www.PASportsOnline.com
AQUAMANIA A BLAST FROM THE PAST
A FREE SYNCHRONIZED SWIMMING EXHIBITION GAMES, FOOD, FUN, TRY SYNCHRO! SANTA CLARA INTERNATIONAL SWIM CENTER Monday, May 27 10am* – Noon Featuring Guest Performances from Cirque de Soleil’s “Oâ€? and “Le RĂŞveâ€? Watershows *Doors open at 10am for a Continental Breakfast ($5.00 donation, benefiting the Mission City Community Fund)
TRY SYNCHRO
After the exhibition, swimmers ages 7-11 will have an opportunity to get in the water and try some basic synchro techniques. If you like it, sign up for one of our Summer Camps. For information: call or ZZZ DTXDPDLGV RUJ Page 30ĂŠUĂŠ >ÞÊ£Ç]ÊÓä£ÎÊUĂŠ*>Â?ÂœĂŠ Â?ĂŒÂœĂŠ7iiÂŽÂ?ÞÊUĂŠĂœĂœĂœÂ°*>Â?Âœ Â?ĂŒÂœ"˜Â?ˆ˜i°Vœ“
to a 52.32 clocking to win her third straight section title in the 100-yard back. The national mark of 52.30 was set by Missy Franklin of Regis Jesuit (Colorado) in 2011, one year before Franklin became a star by winning four gold medals at the London Olympics. “I was definitely surprised,� Howe said. “That (record) was more of a long-term goal.� While she missed the national record, Howe broke her own section mark of 53.11 and, of course, wiped out her school mark. Howe’s winning time, though, is the secondfastest among private school girls in U.S. history. Howe earlier made up for her second-place finish last year in the 200 IM by speeding to a 1:58.23 victory, setting a school record in the process. Howe also anchored the 400 free relay team to third place in a school record of 3:29.65 and led off the fourth-place 200 medley relay squad that also set a school mark of 1:46.16. Monta Vista won the final relay to win the team crown with 223 points. Menlo-Atherton, which held a twopoint lead over the Matadors following the 100 back, wound up fourth with 175 points. The Bears missed third by two points and second by just 11. Defending champ Gunn was fifth with 173, Sacred Heart Prep was eighth with 135 while Palo Alto was 10th with 106. While the Paly boys came up short in ending Bellarmine’s historic win streak, Liang won his first two individual titles by taking the 50 free in 20.64 and 100 fly in 47.19. Liang had hoped to break the CCS record of 47.12 by Sacred Heart Prep’s Tom Kremer last year
in the prelims, but nonetheless came away with the second-fastest time in CCS history while lowering his own school record with one of the fastest times in state history. He also anchored Paly’s 200 free relay to third place and a school record of 1:25.26, another automatic All-American time. Team members included William Lee, Andrew Cho and Winston Wang. None are seniors. Liang finished off his meet with a school record of 44.96 on his leadoff leg in the 400 free relay. Paly finished third in 3:07.34, the No. 2 time in school history. Lee, a junior, broke his own school record in the 100 back with a 49.76 clocking and added a third place (1:51.56) in the 200 IM. Gunn finished a solid sixth with 102 points as freshman Daichi Matsuda and senior Tommy Tai had nice individual efforts. Matsuda set two school records, clocking 50.36 in the prelims of the 100 fly (he finished fourth in the finals in 50.68) and taking second in the 500 free in 4:33.41. Tai lowered his own school mark in the 100 breast from the prelims to 58.14 in addition to breaking his own school mark in the 200 IM with a 1:55.99 for 12th overall. Other local highlights on the day included a victory in the girls’ 200 free by Gunn sophomore Jenna Campbell in 1:46.35, a school record and automatic All-American time. Campbell set another school mark in the 500 free in 4:51.64, but the time got her only fourth in an event where she was among the favorites. Castilleja’s Heidi Katter was a somewhat surprising winner in the girls’ 100 breast in 1:02.13, also a school record and one of the fastest times in CCS history. N
Serving Fine Chinese Cuisine in Palo Alto since 1956 A Great Place for Get-togethers Happy Hour s Catering s Gift CertiďŹ cates Private Dining s Meeting s Banquet Rooms
[Chopsticks Always Optional]
We have daily dim sum service from 11am-2pm. We also offer tasty vegetarian and vegan dishes. In our Bar we have happy hours from 3pm to 6pm / Mon-Fri. Book now for our private rooms and banquet facilities. And don’t forget about our take out and delivery. In addition to all this, we’re open 365 Days / 11am-9:30pm and parking is never a problem.
“Voted Best Dim Sum in Silicon Valle y� – Metro’s best of Silicon Valley 201 3
Ming’s Chinese Cuisine and Bar 1700 Embarcadero Road, Palo Alto tel 650.856.7700 / fax 650.855.9479 / www.mings.com