The Palo Alto High girls' swimming and diving team is a year older, a year wiser, and perhaps a step closer to winning a Central Coast Section championship. "We have no illusions that we're going to walk in there and win that thing," Paly coach Ro Davis said. "Aptos, no question, is the team to beat. But I like our position. This year, we're much more experienced."
Palo Alto will have to rely on that experience and a surplus of depth this week when it challenges Aptos for the CCS crown beginning at the Santa Clara International Swim Center.
Trials will be held Friday starting at 10:30 a.m. Diving trials are set for Saturday at 9 a.m., with diving and swimming finals following at 1 p.m.
Palo Alto finished fifth in last year's meet, but since has added talented transfer Courtney Lischke, a senior from Southern California who already has qualified for the U.S. Olympic swimming trials next March in three events.
Lischke has been the key addition to the Vikings this season, helping them stretch their dual-meet winning streak to 23 straight. She also was a force as Paly captured its second straight SCVAL De Anza Division meet championships last Friday at De Anza College.
Lischke set meet records as she won the 200 free in a school-record 1:53.66 and the 500 free in a season-best 4:56.99. At last year's CCS meet, Paly scored no points in either event while taking fifth. Lischke's presence, however, could turn the tide in the Vikings' favor. She'll also swim on the 200 and 400 free relay squads.
"Our free relays will challenge Aptos," Davis said. "Our relays are going to be good, and you have to have good relays in order to win."
Palo Alto won all three relays at the De Anza Division meet while scoring 457 points. Gunn, getting a meet-record performance of 53.79 in the 100-yard free from sophomore Karen Snyder, used its depth to finish a solid second with 315 points. St. Francis was third at 311 1/2.
Palo Alto also got some good performances from junior Erin Reiland (second in 100 breast), sophomore Hilary Peterson (second in 100 back), sophomore Christine Page (third in 200 free and fourth in 500 free), senior Jessica Jackson (second in 50 free), junior Karen Chuang (third in 100 breast) and sophomore Andrea Clewley (fourth in 200 free). All six also provided solid relay legs to propel Paly to victory.
Depth was the key for Menlo-Atherton, as well, as the Bears captured the final relay and won its first Peninsula Athletic League meet title since 1990 on Saturday at Aragon High.
"All but two members of the varsity scored points," M-A coach Rick Longyear said. "It was a complete team effort. Everyone had to score points for us to move up."
Prior to the meet's final event--the 400 free relay--the team standings were announced. Everyone knew that the winner of the relay would capture the championship.
"It was an exciting moment," Longyear said. "The pool was completely ringed by swimmers and spectators."
It got even more exciting for M-A when Erin Curry led off with a personal best of 56.7, Angela Hook followed with a 57.8 and Becky Boeddiker clocked a personal-record 57.1 to give Beth Irwin a 3.7-second lead on the anchor leg.
That was more than enough to stand up to a 53.8 anchor by San Mateo star Anya Kolbisen. The victory, worth 32 points, gave Menlo-Atherton a six-point victory over San Mateo (302 to 296) in the team race--ending San Mateo streak of four straight titles.
"I knew we had a team that was capable of swimming that fast," Longyear said. "It was good to come out on top for once."
Longyear's expectations won't be quite as high at the CCS meet, where he hopes his team can finish among the top eight teams. Hook, Curry and Irwin should score well in the individual events, as well as providing important relay legs.
Menlo School, meanwhile, probably will experience a similar fate that it suffered at the Girls Private School League championships. The Knights won nine of 11 events and scored 298 points, but didn't have enough depth. As a result, St. Ignatius captured the title with 367 points.
Menlo junior Stephanie Armstrong won the 50 free (24.65) and 100 breaststroke (1:10.41), with teammate Andi Finlay capturing the 500 free and 100 back, a race where she'll be favored to defend her CCS title this week.
Armstrong also should contend for a CCS title in the 200 IM and perhaps the 100 breast, with both Armstrong and Finlay plus Vivi Jabbour competing on relays that also will challenge for titles. Jabbour also could figure in the finals of the 200 IM after winning that at the GPSL meet in 2:15.80.
The Knights, however, just don't have the depth to contend with Aptos and Palo Alto--nor do they have any divers as both teams do. Still, most of the area teams should do well at CCS.
"Palo Alto will be in the battle for the top spot," Longyear predicted, "and Menlo will score a lot of points with its quartet of swimmers. We'll be trying to crack the top 10, and Gunn also will do well with its depth."
Not to be forgotten are members of the Castilleja and Sacred Heart Prep teams, who pick up some points and make their marks, as well. SHP finished third at the GPSL meet with 126 points while Castilleja was fourth with 119.
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