2023 Spring Last Chance JO, Zone Champs, and JO Swim Meet Summaries

Anna Gainey-Vejar

CDST finished February strong with many Swimmers attending the 14 and Under, Last Chance Meet in San Ramon. Swimmers were trying their best to get Junior Olympic qualifying times. Below are some highlights from that Meet:

10 & Under Girls:

Kuo, Vanessa 100 Free: 1:10.26 BB, 50 Back: 37.92 BB, 100 Back: 1:20.96 BB, 100 Fly: 1:24.09 BB, 200 IM: 2:50.52 BB, 500 Free: 6:31.81

11-12 Girls:

Gao, Grace Y 50 Free: 30.81 BB, 100 Back: 1:17.40 BB

13-14 Girls:

XU, Jennifer W 50 Free: 26.64 BB, 200 Free: 2:15.04 BB

Nayagam, Rhea 100 Free: 1:05.00 BB

Lim, Natalie 200 IM: 2:32.86 BB

10 & Under Boys:

Wang, Maximus 100 Free: 1:18.27 BB, 50 Back: 40.07 BB, 50 Breast: 45.07 BB, 100 Breast: 1:36.33 BB,

50 Fly: 40.28 BB, 100 IM: 1:28.31 BB

DU, Lucas 50 Back: 37.98 BB, 100 Back: 1:25.29 BB, 100 Breast: 1:35.96 BB

Kumar, Gautham 100 Back: 1:26.86 BB, 50 Fly: 38.69 BB

BI, Andy 50 Breast: 44.99 BB

Lee, Jayden J 100 Back: 1:25.16 BB, 50 Breast: 43.61 BB, 100 Fly: 1:32.05 BB

11-12 Boys:

Wei, Victor T 50 Free: 26.86 BB, 100 Free: 1:00.40 BB, 50 Fly: 29.62 BB, 100 Fly: 1:09.44 BB, 500 Free: 6:38.94

Gangisetty, Bhavyesh 50 Free: 28.34 BB, 100 Free: 1:03.08 BB, 200 Free: 2:20.76 BB, 50 Back: 33.16 BB, 100 Back: 1:12.43 BB, 50 Fly: 31.60 BB

Ely, Aaron 50 Free: 28.53 BB, 50 Breast: 37.55 BB, 100 Breast: 1:19.88 BB

Chang, Matthew 50 Free: 29.45 BB

HU, Joshua J 100 Free: 1:03.77 BB, 100 Breast: 1:21.43 BB, 100 IM: 1:11.40 BB

13-14 Boys:

Pan, Anthony 50 Free: 25.80 BB, 100 Free: 57.93 BB

LU, Phillip M 50 Free: 26.59 BB, 200 Free: 2:07.20 BB, 200 IM: 2:24.56 BB

Zhang, Yongjian M 100 Free : 56.53 BB, 100 Fly: 1:04.41 BB, 500 Free: 6:00.84

Ben Ayed, Meddy 100 Free: 57.63 BB, 500 Free: 6:05.15

Zhang, Kevin Y 100 Fly: 1:00.17 BB

From Coach Ian:

On February 26, CDST participated in the 2023 Zone All Star Meet. I want to give a huge shout out to Ella Zu, Jacqueline Kuo, Charles Liu, Dhiva Kesavan, Andy Bi, and Sophia Gallagher for representing CDST and Zone Two in this amazing meet. Each of these contestants had one practice and one dinner to create bonds of friendship and trust. With the help of representatives from other Bay Area swim teams, Zone Two has won this championship for the second year in a row. CDST’s participation in this meet has grown over the years and I believe next year’s team goal should be to have at least one swimmer from each age group attend this meet.

We had some amazing swims at this meet and I would like to share some of these amazing stories. One of our swimmers dove into the pool, and their goggles fell halfway down their face, but instead of stopping, they kept going and pushed through the race. It was an amazing visualization of perseverance, and drive at its finest. This may have seemed to be negative, however, it showed every other zone that we were determined. I was very proud of this swimmer and their performance in the race.

Having participated in this meet has allowed the CDST swimmers to create new friendships. At practice, focusing on standards and time goals has allowed for this opportunity to build memorable swim experiences. Having this experience is meaningful because while our CDST team member was swimming a race at another meet, I noticed two children were cheering him on. These two children were from another team yet they hoped he did well. I felt this was amazing because it showed that having an opportunity and making the best of it can create positive lasting outcomes. By working on our goals and by trying our best, we can create a positive foundation for our swimmers to perform at their finest. Coach Felice and myself were happy to be a part of this experience. We are proud of your accomplishments and your sportsmanship. Amazing job and I can’t wait for next year's zone challenge meet.

CDST attended the Spring Age Group Championship meet in Santa Clara on 3/10-3/12. Great job to all our qualifiers and relay swimmers; your energy was inspiring. Shout out to Dhiva, Vanessa, Andy, Sophia, Victor, Yongjian, Jennifer, and Kevin L..

We had great races over the course of this meet. Every athlete was prepared, focused, and driven to succeed. Many of our swimmers made finals and competed well. Congratulations to our relay swimmers. Your races were awesome! The teamwork you displayed was phenomenal and your effort supporting your teammates was unmatched. I could feel the energy in your swims and see the pride in your smile. Keep up the hard work and we will continue to see amazing success.

Gallagher, Sophia

50 BACK Prelim 29.91 Finals 29.90 6th

100 BACK Prelim 1:04.98 Finals 1:04.52 6th

200 BACK Prelim 2:20.93 Finals 2:20.61 8th

Kesavan, Dhivashree

200 FREE Prelim 2:18.23 Finals 2:17.59 4th

50 BACK Prelim 34.70Y Finals 34.73Y 6th

100 BACK Prelim 1:15.11Y Finals 1:13.70Y 5th

100 BREAST Prelim 1:22.71Y Finals 1:22.34Y 3rd

50 FLY Prelim 32.87Y Finals 33.03Y 7th

200 IM Prelim 2:41.65Y Finals 2:33.47Y 3rd

Kuo, Vanessa A