MORGAN HILL — The Gilroy Gators saw six team records fall as three swimmers placed in the top 10 at the Junior Olympics Dec. 6-8 at the Morgan Hill Aquatics Center.
“I’m an extremely proud coach of all performances and their efforts,” said coach Martine Armstrong Monday.
Gilroy was one of 120 teams to send swimmers to the Junior Olympics to compete against nearly 2,000 swimmers in the 14 and under championships. The Gators sent 12 swimmers to participate in 34 events.
This was the first time the group under Armstrong competed in the Junior Olympics after missing out last year. Armstrong joined the Gators in 2012, which was established in 1970.
The Junior Olympics brought teams from across Pacific Swimming’s five zones that encompass all of California plus the area round Reno and Carson City, Nev.
Armstrong said the swimmers had personal records in 29 of those events.
Haley Chavez broke four of the six team records after competing in 10 events.
Her best mark of the weekend came in the 11/12-year-old girls 1,000-meter freestyle where she took 10th in the 1,000M free with a time of 11:57.05, which was also a team record. Her other records came in the 200M individual medley, with a time of 2:28.57; in the 200M backstroke, with a time of 2:28.49; and in the 100M butterfly with a time of 1:08.24.
The other team records fell at the hands of Adrianna Queen, who downed the 13/14-year-old girls record in the 1,000M free with a 10th place time of 11:28.30 and in the 1,650M with a 19.06.88, where she finished in sixth.
Queen also had a top 25 finish in the 500M free, swimming in 5:37.05. She also marked a 2:37.27 in the 200M fly.
Queen overall had seven events, including three relays where she joined Rachel Carnell, Hannah Comin and KK Brolin in the 200M free (1:54.39), the 200M medley (2:10.69) and the 400 free (4:10.95).
“Our relays did an outstanding job, with huge time drops and just missing their Far Western Time,” Armstrong said, noting that the Far Westerns is the biggest age group meet in the country.
Joining teammate Chavez with the most events during the weekend, Emily Tupper took on seven individual events plus two relay teams.
She teamed up with Cassidy Foster, Payton Reeder and Diana Gordon in the 10U 200M medley (2:25.68) and 200 free (2:11.01).
Tupper’s best individual race came in the 500M free where she finished 27th overall with a time of 6:41.95. She also competed in the 200M free and IM plus the 100M IM, breaststroke, back and butterfly.
Reeder also had an extensive weekend, taking on five individual events, plus her two relays. Her best finishes were in the 500M free and the 100M butterfly where she took 32nd in 6:53.33 and 1:19.28, respectively. She also competed in the 50M butterfly and breaststroke and the 200M IM.
Rounding out the 10U girls was Foster who swam in the 500M free and the 50M breaststroke, coming in 34th and 48th, respectively.
For the 11/12-year-old girls, Brianna Mertz swam in four events, swimming in the 50M butterfly, the 100 Mbutterfly and IM and the 200M free.
Rounding out the girls was Maria Higgenbotham swimming the 100M free in 57.72.
The lone boy representing the Gators was Branden Lomeli, who qualified for the boys 13/14-year-old 100M breasktroke, taking 37th overall in 1:09.14.
Relays
10U team — Cassidy Foster, Payton Reeder, Emily Tupper and Diana
200-meter medley: 2:25.68 (17)
200M freestyle: 2:11.01 (16)
13/14-year-old team — Adrianna Queen, Hannah, Rachel and KK
200-meter freestyle: 1:54.39 (21)
200M medley: 2:10.69 (20)
400M free: 4:10.95 (18)
Cassidy Foster (10U)
50M breaststroke: 40.89 (48)
500M freestyle: 6:55.14 (34)
Emily Tupper (10U)
100M fly: 1:22.24 (48)
100M backstroke: 1:17.38 (34)
100M breaststroke: 1:33.55 (76)
100M IM: 1:17.83 (38)
200M IM: 2:50.63 (58)
200M freestyle: 2:34.59
500M freestyle: 6:41.95 (27)
Payton Reeder (10U)
50M fly: 34.96 (39)
50M breaststroke: 44.47
100M fly: 1:19.28 (32)
200M IM: 2:52.80 (66)
500M freestyle: 6:53.33 (32)
Halee Chavez (11/12)
100M fly: 1:08.24 (39)
100M backstroke: 1:09.47 (56)
100M breaststroke: 1:18.01 (62)
200M backstroke: 2:28.49 (40)
200M breaststroke: 2:52.20 (63)
200M IM: 2:28.57 (34)
400M IM: 5:21.66 (35)
500M freestyle: 5:49.15 (20)
1000M freestyle: 11:57.05 (10)
Brianna Mertz (11/12)
50M fly: 30.80
100M fly: 1:13.11 (72)
100M IM: 1:13.03 (120)
200M freestyle: 2:14.62 (67)
Branden Lomeli (13/14)
100M breaststroke: 1:09.14 (37)
Maria Higgenbotham (13/14)
100M freestyle: 57.72 (51)
Adrianna Queen (13/14)
200M fly: 2:37.27 (52)
500M freestyle: 5:37.05 (25)
1000M freestyle: 11:28.30 (10)
1650M freestyle: 19:06.88 (6)
