Bennetts, Blue Devils shine at championships

Enterprise staff

CLOVIS — Sarah Bennetts was motivated at this year’s California Federation State Swimming Championships.

Part of the Davis High girls swimmer was ready for it, thanks to a hit song from one of the America’s favorite musicians.

The Blue Devil won a state championship 100 breaststroke, and contributed on relay teams that also placed at Saturday’s finals at Clovis West High.

“I think she just went out with the attitude that she wanted to win,” said Davis head coach Vivian Crow.

That all added up to Davis taking a fourth-place team finish with 125 points.

This is second consecutive year that DHS has finished in the top five in the team standings.

Bennetts won the breaststroke with a time of 1 minute, 00.11 seconds. She beat

SoftBaLL

her own preliminary time of 1:00.86.

“I talked to (Crow) and she helped me, gave me some tips on how to approach the finals,” Bennetts said. “Which included, instead of sprinting the third lap of the 100, I would build into it until the last turn and then spring the last lap. It did help me a fair amount, save some energy at the end.”

Crow added, “That first 50, she attacked it from the start, and then just held on as much as she could with that second 50.”

Her finals’ time broke her own DHS record of 1:01.28, which earned her second place at the 2022 state championships.

“My goal this season was to, hopefully, place better,” Bennetts said. “I was a little nervous going into it... it would work out in the end.”

Bennetts’ walk-up song from Taylor Swift, “Ready For It?” certainly helped just a little bit.

“It did make me feel a little bit more confident,” Bennetts said. “I love Taylor Swift.”

Crow added, “It was just the best (introduction) song that she could have chosen, and I think that just got her in the zone.”

She noted that before leaving for UCLA, which she’ll be competing on a scholarship, this summer, Bennetts plans to see one of Swift’s two concerts, which are scheduled for Friday, July 28 and Saturday, July 29 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara.

Bennetts earned her second medal in the 100 freestyle, taking fourth place at 49.90 seconds. Her preliminary time on Friday was 49.97.

Dethlefson named Big West Player of the Year

Enterprise staff

IRVINE — UC Davis softball player, junior Anna Dethlefson, was named the Big West Conference Player of the Year, the league office announced Tuesday.

The Aggies had eight total honors as the conference unveiled their postseason awards.

Dethlefson becomes the first Aggie in program history to earn Player of the Year honors from the Big West.

The Fair Oaks native paced the conference in slugging percentage (.627), doubles (15) and stolen bases (40). She ranks second in batting average (.407), OPS (1.104), runs (43), and hits (61).

Her 40 stolen bases, 15 doubles and 94 total bases broke the program’s Division I single-season records.

Dethlefson is just the second player in UCD Division I single-season history to bat over .400 at .407.

Aggie pitcher Kenedi See WEST, Page B5

Bennetts was part of the Blue Devil girls’ 400 relay team that took second place with a time of 3:24.47. Adelia Biello, Sara Kos and Ava Portello were the other members of the relay team.

“We just had to get out and attack every single leg that we could,” Crow said. “It was a really close race.”

Portello, a junior, earned a medal in the 200-freestyle race, taking eighth place with a time of 1:50.42.

The 200-medley relay team of Bennetts, Kos, Makena Leacox and Biello took third place at 1:42.07. The quartet’s preliminary time was 1:42.18.

The Blue Devil girls finished with 125 points for fourth place.

In the 2022 state championships, DHS had 204 points.

See BENNETTS, Page B5