Warrior girls win all events in first two Valley League swim meets

Fallbrook High School's girls’ swim team began Valley League competition April 5 at home against Escondido Charter and April 7 at home against Valley Center, and in both meets, the Warriors took first place in all events.

The Warriors defeated Escondido Charter by a 124-46 margin and prevailed by a 122-48 score against Valley Center. In each of the eight individual events each school can enter up to three swimmers. Six team points are given for the first-place finish; second place is worth five points; third place earns four points; fourth place adds two points, and the fifth-place swimmer obtains one team point.

Although a school can enter up to three quartets for each of the three relay races only two of those relay teams from each school can be scored, with teams receiving eight points for first place, four points for second, and two points for third.

The victory against Escondido Charter included three Warrior sweeps of the top position points. “It was good to see that,” said Fallbrook coach Sean Redmond. “It was good to see them racing and with some pretty good times.”

Fallbrook lost a March 22 home meet against Carlsbad, and due to spring break, the Warriors did not compete until the meet against Escondido Charter two weeks later. “After having a week of some great training, it's always good to get back to racing,” Redmond said.

High school swim meets begin with the 200-yard medley relay, and on April 5 the winning time of 2:05.74 was posted by Fallbrook swimmers Caitlyn Batty, Ella Hearn, Ariana Young, and Madalyn Johnson. Taylor Dowden won the individual 200-yard freestyle race in 2:04.82 and Jazmin Patterson captured the 200-

yard individual medley in 2:30.64.

If two swimmers tie for a placing, the combined position points are split equally, although that was irrelevant in the 50-yard freestyle when two Fallbrook swimmers obtained five points apiece for splitting first and second. Johnson and Jordann Heimback both had times of 26.37 seconds.

The Warriors swept the next two events. Young won the 100-yard butterfly in 1:06.69, with Patterson completing her laps in 1:10.05 and Batty finishing in 1:14.01. Johnson had the winning 100-yard freestyle time at 1:02.18 with Ali Eiogo touching the finish wall 1:08.68 after the starter's gun was fired and Natalie Travers posting a time of 1:10.85.

Heimback took first place in the 500-yard freestyle race. The time of 5:33.95 is an automatic qualifying mark for the CIF meet. Patterson, Dowden, Johnson, and Heimback won the 200-yard freestyle relay event in 1:48.66.

Young not only led a Fallbrook sweep in the 100-yard backstroke, but her time of 1:03.27 gives her automatic CIF qualifying status. Batty finished second with a time of 1:12.75 and Lauren Scrape was third at 1:17.38. The individual events against Escondido Charter concluded with Dowden winning the 100-yard breaststroke with an automatic time of 1:11.39. The meet concluded with the 400-yard freestyle relay whose winning time of 3:57.53 was posted by Heimback, Young, Patterson, and Dowden.

Fallbrook was moved into the Valley League for the 2014-15 seasons and became a league opponent of Valley Center for the first time. The 2015 swim meet against the Jaguars was at Adams Community Park Pool in Valley Center, which has a 25-meter length rather than the standard 25-yard distance. This year's home meet allowed the Warriors to avoid the metric pool. “That's always nice,” Redmond said.

Fallbrook took first and second in seven of the eight individual races April 7, including a sweep of the top three positions in the 100-yard freestyle.

“I think we swam better than we did on <April 5>, so I was

pleased with that,” said Redmond of his teams performance on April 7. “We won every event and had a lot of one-twos.”

If only one team in a high school dual meet has a diver, the diving is not included in the team scoring but the individual divers are scored for CIF qualifying purposes. The diving is scored at the league meet and at the CIF meet regardless of whether all teams have divers. The three girls who competed at last year's Valley League diving meet, including Fallbrook's Jessica Fagrell, were all seniors in 2015.

This year, Ramona High School has girl divers for the first time since 2006. “It's nice to see their program growing out there,” Redmond said.

A school can enter up to four participants in each individual event at the league meet, so even if Ramona sweeps the top four diving positions, Fallbrook would obtain fifth-place points if the Warriors' diver replenishment activity includes participation at the league meet in early May. Amelia Johnson made her first scored dives of the season April 7 and obtained 139.20 points on her six dives.

Johnson will need at least seven dives prior to the CIF meet as well as a qualifying score in order to be eligible for the CIF diving competition. “That's what we're working on, trying to make sure we get enough dives in,” Redmond said.

The league meet counts towards the minimum participation and the results of the league meet can also be used as qualifying scores.

Fallbrook's sweep against the Jaguars was in the 100-yard freestyle. Madalyn Johnson won that race in 59.66 seconds, Batty had a time of 1:00.69, and Sierra Peterson had the third-place time of 1:06.19. Johnson also won the 50-yard freestyle with a time of 26.15 seconds and Hearn finished second in 26.90 seconds.

Dowden and Heimback also each won two individual races against the Jaguars. Dowden's 2:02.81 in the 200-yard freestyle is an automatic qualifying time, and Sarah Draves finished second in that race with a time of 2:21.81. Dowden won the 100-yard breaststroke in 1:12.08 with Patterson finishing in 1:13.23 for second place. Heimback had winning times of 2:24.86 in the 200-yard individual medley and 1:04.88 in the 100-yard butterfly with Young having the second-place time of 1:05.05 in the butterfly race.

Hearn earned her first varsity win in an individual race April 7 with the sophomore's time of 6:06.46 in the 500-yard freestyle. Draves finished second in that race at 6:14.34. Young won the 100-yard backstroke in 1:03.01 with Batty having the second-place time of 1:10.69.

Dowden, Patterson, Young, and Heimback had the 200-yard medley relay winning time of 1:59.95. Patterson, Johnson, Batty, and Hearn won the 200-yard freestyle relay in 1:52.64. Johnson, Batty, Draves, and Hearn needed 4:27.95 to win the 400-yard freestyle relay.