Vacaville Swim Team finishes 6th at Sierra Nevada Junior Olympics

The Vacaville Swim Team traveled to Roseville, California to race in the Sierra Nevada Long Course Meters Junior Olympics July 19^th – 22^nd, 2012.  The team consisted of 46 swimmers who competed over the four days.  The meet was a trials and finals format with the top eight swimmers from the morning preliminaries racing at night in the finals. 

The team raced extremely well in both relays and finals throughout the meet and finished in a very close race for 6^th place! Every swim and every point counted as the Vacaville Swim Team passed the seventh and eighth place teams on the last night of competition.

Over the course of the Junior Olympics the team had a numerous individual Junior Olympic Champions, finalists and Vacaville swimmers making new qualifying time standards for other championship meets.

Junior Olympics Champions:

Matt Abernethy ~

200/ 400/ 800 Freestyle; 100/ 200 Butterfly

Megan Flynn ~

400 Freestyle

Billy Mullis ~

50 Freestyle

Kady Rubio ~

400 Freestyle; 200 Butterfly

Breanna Schafer ~

800/ 1500 Freestyle

Relays at the Junior Olympics are exciting and very important to the team scores.  The team put together some very good relays for the meet:  11 – 12 Girls 4^th and 6^th in the 200 Freestyle Relay, 5^th in the 400 Freestyle, 5^th in the 200 Medley Relay and 5^th in the 400 Medley Relay; boys 7^th in the 200 Freestyle Relay, 7^th in the 400 Freestyle, 5^th in the 200 Medley Relay, 8^th in the 400 Medley Relay.  13 – 14 Girls 7^th in the 200 Freestyle Relay, 6^th in the 400 Freestyle Relay, 7^th & 8^th in the 800 Freestyle Relay, 6^th in the 200 Medley Relay and 7^th in the 400 Medley Relay.  15 – 18 Girls 8^th in the 200 Freestyle Relay, 7^th in the 800 Freestyle Relay and 6^th in the 200 Medley Relay; Boys 3^rd in the 200 Freestyle Relay,  4^th 400 Freestyle Relay, 2^nd in the 800 Freestyle Relay, 2^nd in the 200 Medley Relay, 3^rd in the 400 Medley Relay.

In the Individual events the team scored a number of points in the finals.  The following finalist are listed in alphabetical order - 8 & Under swimmers:  Isabelle Meraz 4^th in the 50 Free and 2^nd in the 50 Back, Sophia Samson 4^th in the 50 Back;  10 & Under swimmers:  Eleni Morfidis; 11 – 12’s: Sierra Carmelich 8^th in the 100 Back and 7^th in the 200 Back, Megan Flynn 2^nd in the 50 Free, 4^th in the 100 Free, 2^nd in the 200 Free, 1^st in the 400 Free, 5^th in the 50 Back and 50 Fly; Boyd Abernethy 2^nd in the 50 Fly; Tim Lee 5^th in the 50 Free and 6^th in the 100 Free and 50 Fly.  13 – 14: Ari Sweany 8^th in the 800 Free;  Coty Norton 8^th in the 100 fly.  15 – 16:  Matt Abernethy 1^st in the 200 Free, 1^st in the 400 Free, 1^st in the 800 Free, 7^th in the 200 Back, 1^st in the 100 Fly, 1^st in the 200 Fly; Andrew Castro 8^th in the 400 Free, 4^th in the 800 Free, 5^th in the 1500 Free; Billy Mullis 1^st in the 50 Free, 2^nd in the 200 Free, 2^nd in the 400 Free, 2^nd in the 100 Back, 2^nd in the 200 Back, 3^rd in the 400 IM; Austin Parry 7^th in the 50 Free, 7^th in the 200 IM; Sam Starks 4^th in the 100 Breast, 3^rd in the 200 Breast, 2^nd in the 200 IM, 2^nd in the 400 IM.  17 – 18:  Kady Rubio 4^th in the 200 Free, 1^st in the 400 Free, 2^nd in the 100 Back, 2^nd in the 200 Back, 2^nd in the 100 Fly, 1^st in the 200 Fly; Breanna Schafer 5^th in the 100 Free, 4^th in the 400 Free, 1^st in the 800 Free, 1^st in the 1500 Free, 4^th in the 100 Breast, 2^nd in the 200 Breast.

As mentioned earlier the team had swimmers make new time standards for both the California Sectional Championships and the Far Western Championships.  New qualifiers for the Sectional Championships:  Matt Abernethy 800 Freestyle; Megan Flynn 50 Freestyle; Billy Mullis 50 Freestyle, 400 Freestyle; Sam Starks 200 IM, 400 IM.  New qualifiers for the Far Western championships:  Eleni Morfidis 50 Freestyle; Sierra Carmelich 11-12, 50, 100, and 200 Back; Abigail Mitchell in the 11- 12 200 Breast; Tim Lee 11-12 in the 50 Free and 50 and 100 Fly and Coty Norton 13-14 in the 100 Fly.

Thank you to all of the parents for your help in timing and supporting and cheering on the swimmers.  Thank you to Charlotte Bohn, Stacia Lindahl and Teresa Salvador for volunteering as stroke and turn officials for meet.

Congratulations to all the swimmers and the entire swim team!