The GHS girls swim team took second at last Friday’s Tri-County
Athletic League Championships while the boys, with just five
swimmers on the varsity roster, finished fourth.
GILROY – With one of the deepest girls teams in the pool in recent years for Gilroy High head coach Tom Clark, the Lady Mustangs earned second place at the Tri-County Athletic League Championships at Everett Alvarez High School in Salinas on Friday.
Freshman Christina Collett highlighted the afternoon with two first-place finishes, including posting a Central Coast Section qualifying time of 5:31.19 in the 500-yard freestyle. Collett also took the top spot in the 200 free with a 2:04.22, but narrowly missed out on qualifying for Friday’s CCS trials by eight-tenths of a second.
Senior Isabella Comin took second in the 100 butterfly, while she and Brittney Malick captured third and second, respectively, in the 200 individual medley.
Michelle Shields, who already punched her ticket to the CCS trials earlier this season in the 50 and 100 free, finished second on Friday in the 100 after being called for a questionable false start in the 50 free.
“I only swam in the 100 free (in CCS) last year. I am very excited. I just have to work harder in practice and rest up for the day. I have achieved my goals this season and I hope I can take off more time during CCS.”
Both the girls’ 200-free relay team (Comin, Collett, Shields and Christina Raby) and the 400-free relay (Malick, Comin, Collett, Shields) will race at the CCS trials.
The TCAL Championships was the last chance for individuals and relay teams to get into the postseason.
“We did really good this year,” Shields said. “I would say that in the next few years we are going to get even better.”
Despite having just five varsity swimmers, the Gilroy High boys swimming team has accomplished quite a bit this season and demonstrated its prowess Friday to place fourth at the league finals.
Senior Eddie Malick was a double winner, touching the wall in 1:01.59 in the 100 breaststroke and beating out teammate Brian Pribyl in the 200 IM. Pribyl also finished second in the 100 butterfly (56.82).
“I knew I was going to make it to CCS,” said Malick, who has won the 100 breaststroke each of the last three seasons at the TCAL finals.
“If he does the time he did (at the TCAL Finals) he should make at least consols,” Clark said of his senior.
Both Malick and Pribyl, a junior, already locked in spots in the CCS semis earlier this season in the 200 IM. Malick will also compete in the 100 breaststroke.
“I’ve been swimming with everyone on our relay teams since before high school,” Malick said. “There’s just a lot of chemistry and we work well together. I like the fact that all of our guys have advanced.”
The boys’ 200-yard IM relay squad (Jacob Abruzzini, Zach Kendrick, Michael Shields and Malick) cruised to a first place in 1:42.90, and the 400 free relay (Shields, Abruzzini, Pribyl and Malick) also finished first in 3:27.21. Both relay teams will compete in Friday’s CCS trials.
“We have more quality than other teams, we just don’t have the depth,” Clark said of his boys team. “At CCS we will beat every team in our league.
The CCS trials begin at 2 p.m. on Friday and the finals are Saturday at the same time at the Santa Clara International Swim Club.
