Sometimes when you’re at the top, the only place to go is …
up?
Hollister swimmer Chloe Isleta was already ranked No. 1 in the
nation among 11-year-olds in the 100 IM. But during last weekend’s
Far Western Short Course Championships in Morgan Hill, she actually
improved upon her time.
MORGAN HILL
Sometimes when you’re at the top, the only place to go is … up?
Hollister swimmer Chloe Isleta was already ranked No. 1 in the nation among 11-year-olds in the 100 IM. But during last weekend’s Far Western Short Course Championships in Morgan Hill, she actually improved upon her time.
After clocking a 1:01.20 in the 100 IM at the Pacific Swimming Short Course Junior Olympic Championships in San Ramon two weeks ago — a time that positioned her No. 1 in the nation — Isleta somehow shaved a little more than two-tenths of a second off her 100 IM time at Far Westerns.
She’s still ranked No. 1, of course, but only by a slightly larger margin now.
“She just cements her No. 1 position a little more firmly,” said Dave Steele, who is head coach of the swim team at Rovella’s Athletic Club in Hollister.
Competing in the 11- and 12-year-old age division, Isleta finished runner-up in the 100 IM to 12-year-old Ariana Saghafi (1:00.25), who also stood in the way of the Hollister swimmer in both the 200 IM and 400 IM as well. The two competitors went 1-2 in each event, with Isleta recording a 2:10.52 in the 200 IM and a 4:39.12 in the 400 IM to finish in second place in both races.
Among 11-year-olds, though, Isleta’s times in the 200 (2:10.18) and 400 IM (4:33.42) at Junior Olympics still stand as the best in the nation.
Meanwhile, her time in the 50 back stood as the best time at Far Westerns. She recorded a 27.89 in the event to take first place, beating out a handful of other 12-year-olds in the process, including Samantha Coloma, who finished second in 28.48.
“And she’ll be back as a 12-year-old, probably a couple inches taller and a lot better,” Steele said of Isleta.
Isleta finished third in the 100 back when she clocked a 1:00.65, besting her prelim time by nearly three seconds. She also improved by more than two seconds in the 100 free when she recorded a 55.70 in the prelims and a 55.19 in the finals to take sixth place.
Very much the competitor, though, Isleta was said to have been a little disappointed with her times at Far Westerns.
“She said that she’s gonna start training harder and she wants to start working out in the gym,” Steele said. “She’s a real competitor.”
Only the top eight finishers in the preliminary round advanced to finals, and Isleta was the lone member to do so from Rovella’s.
Gus Spurzem nearly advanced to the final round when he timed a 2:22.46 in the 200 fly to take 11th, missing the top-eight cut by less than two seconds, while Czsarina Isleta posted 10th-place finishes in both the 100 breast (1:08.11) and 200 breast (2:28.48).
Gilroy’s Brian Pribyl, who competed in six events, finished 12th in the 400 IM (4:30.21) and 14th in the 200 breast (2:25.64).
Competing unattached, San Benito High freshman Graham Spurzem managed to advance to finals in two events — the 100 back and 200 back. The 14-year-old Haybaler recorded a 56.03 in the 100 to take eighth, and a 2:00.10 in the 200 to take sixth.
Hosted by Almaden Swim and Racquet Club, Far Westerns drew more than 1,400 swimmers from 11 different states, and is considered the largest swim meet in California. Morgan Hill resident and Pacific Swimming official Frank Suchomel was honored prior to the event.
With the conclusion of Far Westerns, the long course season now begins with distances moving to international and Olympic standards. Rovella’s will compete in a long-course meet this weekend in Morgan Hill, while the 10-and-under championships are slated for the end of the month at Lynbrook High School in San Jose. Hollister’s Michaela Krulee, Amber Crist and Loraine Baca are expected to compete.
Interested in swimming? Contact Dave Steele at Rovella’s Athletic Club at (831) 636-8500.
Far Western Short Course Championships
Event/Name — Prelim, Place; Final, Place
Michaela Krulee
200 Free 10U — 2:25.33, 38th
500 Free 10U — 6:15.77, 16th
100 Fly 10U — 1:16.64, 32nd
Chloe Isleta
100 Free 11-12 — 55.70, 8th; 55.19, 6th
500 Free 11-12 — 5:24.21, 12th
50 Back 11-12 — 28.32, 1st; 27.89, 1st
100 Back 11-12 1:03.41 7th 1:00.65 3rd
100 IM 11-12 — 1:02.98, 3rd; 1:00.95, 2nd
200 IM 11-12 — 2:13.90, 2nd; 2:10.52, 2nd
400 IM 11-12 — 4:45.96, 2nd; 4:39.12, 2nd
Alexandra Vargas
200 Fly 11-12 — 2:24.46, 14th
400 IM 11-12 — 5:05.38, 31st
Celina Stotler
200 Back 15-16 — 2:18.41, 34th
100 Fly 15-16 — 1:07.48, 34th
200 Fly 15-16 — 2:24.57, 33rd
400 IM 15-16 — 5:06.39, 35th
1000 Free Open — 11:37.76, N/A
Gus Spurzem
50 Fly 11-12 — 29.40, 32nd
100 Fly 11-12 — 1:04.28, 22nd
200 Fly 11-12 — 2:22.46, 11th
400 IM 11-12 — 5:10.79, 29th
Czsarina Isleta
100 Back 13-14 — 1:02.84, 30th
200 Back 13-14 — 2:13.66, 24th
100 Breast 13-14 — 1:08.11, 10th
200 Breast 13-14 — 2:28.48, 10th
100 Fly 13-14 — 1:01.35, 37th
200 IM 13-14 — 2:14.59, 23rd
400 IM 13-14 — 4:49.49, 21st
Graham Spurzem
50 Free 13-14 — 23.42, 13th
200 Free 13-14 — 1:48.02, 9th
100 Back 13-14 — 56.18, 6th; 56.03, 8th
200 Back 13-14 — 2:00.84, 5th; 2:00.10, 6th
100 Breast 13-14 — 1:07.67, 19th
100 Fly 13-14 — 57.38, 29th
200 IM 13-14 — 2:05.05, 14th
Quinn Six
100 Free 15-16 — 51.06, 22nd
100 Back 15-16 — 57.16, 17th
200 Back 15-16 — 2:03.74, 18th
100 Breast 15-16 — 1:07.04, 35th
100 Fly 15-16 — 57.47, 22nd
200 IM 15-16 — 2:07.49, 33rd
400 IM 15-16 — 4:35.03, 34th
Brian Pribyl
200 Back 17-18 — DQ
100 Breast 17-18 — 1:09.17, 21st
200 Breast 17-18 — 2:25.64, 14th
100 Fly 17-18 — 57.30, 19th
200 Fly 17-18 — 2:08.59, 16th
400 IM 17-18 — 4:30.21, 12th
