GHS swin teams hit the pool for upcoming season.
GILROY – The Gilroy High pool is filling up as the boys and girls swim teams have a combined 50 student-athletes for the upcoming season – the fifth under head coach Tom Clark.
“That’s more than we’ve had in years,” said Clark, who also heads up the Gilroy Gators club swim team as well as the Mustang boys water polo team. “The boys and the girls should both do all right this year.”
Sophomore Santiago Maciel – whose strongest laps are in the 200 individual medley and the 100 butterfly – returns to the deep end one year after qualifying in six events for the Central Coast Section meet as a freshman.
Senior Eric Watkins – a CCS placer in his freshman year – will compete in the 100 butterfly and the 100 backstroke. The boys squad is then made up of several sophomores – Travis Game in the 50 and 100 freestyle, Chris Hunt in the 50 freestyle and 100 backstroke, and Nick Van Winkle, who finished top six in the 100 breaststroke and 50 freestyle at last year’s league finals. In addition, freshman Scott Castruitta is set to compete in the 100 breaststroke and 50 freestyle.
The Lady Mustangs are 36 swimmers strong this season – including junior Lindsay Bean in the 50 and 300 freestyle; senior Sally Higashi in the 100 butterfly and 200 individual medley; and sophomore Kim Spaulding in the 200 and 300 butterfly.
“Lindsay, Sally and Kim just missed qualifying last year,” Clark said. “They were really, really close.”
Along with the expected arrival of senior freestyler Danell Dow – a starting guard on the Lady Mustang basketball team – Gilroy has high hopes for sophomore Danielle Kay in the 200 individual medley and the 500 freestyle as well as senior Rosanna Rosso in the 200 and 500 freestyle.
Gilroy’s first swim meet is scheduled for March 7 at home against Salinas, starting at 3 p.m.
