Maciel breaks school record for 100 free; Mustangs continue
success
GILROY – Junior Santiago Maciel not only qualified in two more events for CCS to add his season-total to five, but the varsity swimmer also broke a long-standing Gilroy High record.
Maciel, a three-year varsity swimmer for the Mustangs, made the section cut for the 500 freestyle in 4:57 and the 100 freestyle in 49.1 at Friday’s home meet against North Salinas. His personal best for the 100 free was the fastest ever recorded since Jeff Arnold’s 50.3 in the early ’90s.
“It’s been a very exciting year,” head coach Tom Clark said. “They’re swimming out of their heads. I’m very happy and pleased with this year’s team.”
Maciel, who already qualified in the 200 IM, 100 butterfly and 100 backstroke, as well as on two relay teams, is one of five Gilroy High swimmers who will compete individual events against the section’s top swimmers.
The CCS preliminaries are scheduled for May 19 and the CCS championships are set for May 22. The top eight finishers advance to the final heat and the next eight battle in the consolation heat.
On Friday, the varsity boys received a forfeit win over North Salinas, which does not have any male swimmers.
“The boys just swam for times and, actually, they swam really fast with no competition,” said Clark, whose boys squad defeated Monterey last week, 107-68.
Junior Lee Walton will join his teammate, already qualifying in the 200 free and 500 free. Walton has recently been competing in other events. At a USA swim event held in Santa Cruz over the weekend, Walton swam CCS-qualifying times in the 200 IM and the 100 breast, but he has to make the cut in a league match for it to count.
“I’ll let him swim what he wants,” said Clark, whose squad will host Palma/Notre Dame in Friday’s regular-season finale. “I might give him the chance to make the cut (in the 200 IM and 100 breast). He’s having an awesome year, just awesome.”
Walton and Maciel are both on the CCS-qualifying relay teams for the 200 free and the 400 free, along with teammates Scott Castruita, Chris Hunt, and Sam Whitaker. Castruita swam the 50 free in 24-flat and missed making an individual CCS event by 9/10ths of a second. He will have a shot on Friday and then at the May 8 league finals in Morgan Hill.
The varsity girls squad, made up of only six swimmers, toppled North Salinas by a 107-53 margin. Last week, the Lady Mustangs lost to Monterey by only nine team points.
“They did really well,” Clark said. “We just didn’t have the depth.”
Senior Lourella Palao broke her personal best in the 100 back, which she will compete in at CCS along with junior Kim Spaulding (200 free, 500 free, 200 IM) and senior Lindsey Been (50 free, 100 free).
Been also competed in the 200 free and 100 breast against North Salinas, just missing the CCS cut for both events.
“She’s a sprinter, so that’s a long distance for her,” said Clark of Been. “She just missed the CCS cut by a second and a half.”
Senior Kristen Rose swam a lifetime best in the 500 free with a time of 6:25, while freshman A.J. Watkins is getting close to qualifying in the 100 breast.
Spaulding, Been, Palao and Watkins also set the school record for the 200 medley relay, which has qualified them for CCS. In addition, the 200 freestyle relay and 400 freestyle relay teams, comprised of Spaulding, Been, Palao and Stephanie Smith, will also be at the CCS meet for Gilroy.
