Ramona High School’s girls swim team finished ninth among the 32 teams at the Mission Viejo Invitational held March 28.
“We didn’t do as well as we have done in the past,” said Coach Stacey Dusseault. “We still did really good.”
The Bulldogs were scheduled to have a Valley League meet at Valley Center High School the previous day, but Dusseault received a call late in the evening of March 26 that the Valley Center pool had to be closed. The dual meet is expected to be rescheduled for early May.
While the Bulldogs’ finish at the Mission Viejo Invitational didn’t match Ramona’s fourth-place showing last year, Ramona junior Breann Stevens set a school record in the 100-yard freestyle.
Stevens, who had been clocked at 54.20 seconds during last year’s CIF finals, finished second at the Mission Viejo Invitational with a time of 53.66 seconds.
“She was just so thrilled to see that 53 pop up,” Dusseault said.
Stevens beat out the third-place finisher by 1/100 of a second.
“She just swam a great end leg and stuck that arm out and fought all the way for second place,” Dusseault said.
Stevens also posted a sixth-place finish in the 200-yard freestyle with a time of 1:56.88.
The preliminary heats placed Ramona sophomore Madi Lanz 17th in the 100-yard butterfly, making her the first alternate for finals. When one finalist fell in the parking lot and broke her hand, Lanz was given a starting block in the consolation finals.
Lanz not only competed in the consolation finals but won that race.
“It was really exciting, to go from 17th to 9th,” Dusseault said.
The swimmers in the championship finals are assured of the top eight places regardless of their times while the consolation finals competitors finish between 9th and 16th. Had Lanz been in the championship finals, however, her time of 59.76 seconds would have placed sixth. Lanz had a time of 1:02 in the preliminary heat that morning.
Ramona’s 200-yard freestyle relay team of Lanz, senior Lauren Gantzer, Stevens, and sophomore Katherine Abbott finished seventh at 1:44.7 while the Bulldogs’ 400-yard freestyle relay team of sophomore Ellie Carrano, Gantzer, Stevens, and Abbott took eighth place with a time of 3:47.33.
Three CIF San Diego Section teams competed at the Mission Viejo Invitational. Torrey Pines placed sixth while La Costa Canyon was 13th.
“We really held our own,” Dusseault said.
“Everybody swam really well,” Dusseault said. “It’s nice to see your kids do well against such a great field of swimmers.”
The Bulldogs host Grossmont today in a non-league dual meet and travel to Orange Glen tomorrow to resume Valley League competition.