Sonoma swimmers almost sweep Justin-Siena

Sonoma Valley High School’s girls swim team, sporting their new green Nike-emblazoned swim suits, walked away with a convincing 120-46 victory at their home pool, the Sonoma Aquatic Club in Agua Caliente, over Justin-Siena last Friday, March 29.

The boys weren’t quite as overpowering, but came within two points of defeating the Justin-Siena boys, 82-80.

The girls’ win puts them 3-0 on the season. Highlights included taking first place in the 200-meter medley relay behind Sophie Lucchetti, Hanna Wales, Maya Grajczyk and Sofia Portello with an NCS-qualifying time of 2:02.61.

Freshman Glorianna Ring came in first in the 20-meter freestyle (2:09.17), junior Charlotte Hunter won the 200 individual medley (2:24.28), and freshman Sierra Pine won the 50-meter freestyle (26.49). Another sophomore, Hanna Wales, won the 500-meter freestyle with a personal best time of 5:53.20.

Many of the same girls racked up additional wins as the meet went on; Ring won the 100 butterfly (1:05.65); junior Charlotte Hunter took the 100 freestyle (58.64); Lucchetti won the 100 backstroke with a personal best time (1:10.08); and senior Grajczyk won the 100 breaststroke (1:15.76).

The Lady Dragon swimmers also took two other relays, as the 200-meter freestyle relay team of Pine, Portello, Ring and Hunter came in first with another NCS consideration time (1:46.84); and the arduous 400 freestyle relay won by the team of Wales, Ring, Pine and Hunter (4:05.05).

Coach Jane Hansen explained NCS consideration times as fast enough to be put in a pool (sic) with other swimmers or relay teams who have also made that time cut for a place at the NCS championship at the end of the season. “They draw a line at 40 swimmers (or relays) in each event,” she said.

The boys’ close loss came in the absence of freshman Bennett Steiger, out sick for the meet. Still there were plenty of bright spots, said Hansen. Junior Dominic Fiorito won the 50 freestyle with a personal best and NCS consideration time of 22.58. Jason Pine, another junior, also nailed a personal best 100 freestyle time (53.15) for the win.

Freshman Greyson McCaw came in first in the 100 backstroke (1:00.33), and two relays gained NCS consideration times for the boys, including a win in the 200 freestyle relay with Ben Goodman, Hank Schoeningh, McCaw and James Greenslade (1:36.23).

The match was close enough it all came down to the last race – the 400-meter freestyle relay. In the lanes for the Dragons were Pine, Ethan Smith, McCaw and Fiorito. “If we had touched first in the 400 freestyle we would have won the match,” said Hansen. “But Justin’s swimmers touched first by just three-tenths of a second.”

Final winning time was 3:30.06, with the Dragon boys timing at 3:30.36.

Next meet for the Dragons swim team is Wednesday, April 3, against Petaluma High at the Petaluma Swim Center, 900 E. Washington St., starting at 4 p.m.