Led by the return of five standouts—Erin Hepner, Heather Smith, Grace Larson, Shannon Stephens, and Hayleigh Smith—the San Benito High girls swimming team should be right in the mix for another solid finish in the Monterey Bay League.
The Haybalers Fantastic Five—Heather Smith and Hepner are seniors, while Hayleigh Smith, Grace Larson and Shannon Stephens are juniors—seem poised to have a great season.
Larson is the league’s defending champion in the 100 breaststroke, with a winning time of 1 minute, 13.07 seconds in last year’s league finals. Larson also finished second in the 50 freestyle, clocking a 25.88.
In the same race, Hayleigh Smith and Stephens finished fourth and fifth, respectively, putting three Balers into the top five of the event. Fast times indeed. Hepner finished fourth in the 100 breaststroke in 1:25.66.
Smith finished fourth in last year’s 500 freestyle at MBLs in 6:06.44, and she also had a solid fourth-place finish in the 200 free in 2:19.04. Out of the five returning standouts—they were all key members of the girls water polo team that advanced to the Central Coast Section Division I playoff quarterfinals last November—Heather Smith stands out because of her love for distance swimming.
It takes special focus and endurance to swim 500 meters, but Smith embraces the challenge.
“I get excited when I race a 500,” she said. “I’m trying to get my time down, and it’s crazy. It’s a matter of doing even splits (over 20 laps) and not having a lull, no bad turns off the wall and no messed up strokes. Coach Christine (Schafer) does a good job of preparing me for the 500, both physically and mentally.”
Smith also prefers swimming over water polo—“I might be the one person who likes swimming more than water polo,” she said—because of the sport’s simplicity. Smith has developed into a great leader, a person who knows how to push all the right buttons at the most opportune time.
“Heather is the best leader ever,” Larson said. “She inspires everyone so much because she has so much spirit.”
Hepner has displayed tremendous consistency throughout her career, and Stephens has already done well early in the season, having completed the 100 free in a brisk 58 seconds.
If Stephens can make that time hold up, she’ll be in contention to win a league championship. Stephens also wants to qualify for CCS in the 50 free, and judging by her passion for the sport, she’ll probably reach her goals.
“If I’m having a bad day, I’d rather be swimming than doing almost anything else,” she said. “I can just lose myself in swimming, and it’s really therapeutic.”
Hayleigh Smith had quite a summer in 2014, as the team she was competing on for club water polo, San Jose Almaden, finished 20th in the Junior Olympics. Smith wants to qualify for CCS in the 50 free and perhaps the 100.
“Shannon, Grace and I are all getting around the same times (in the 50), and we’re close to getting there,” Smith said.
Indeed, chemistry stands out with this group, as they all seemingly get along like close sisters. Hayleigh Smith has an outgoing nature and loves talking about the positives of sports and the camaraderie it builds.
One could describe her as a social butterfly—she dreams of one day doing a skit on Saturday Night Live—but don’t mistake her free spirited ways for a lack of drive.
In the pool, Smith turns competitive and backs down from no one. Speaking of self-motivated individuals, Larson is making a name for herself for all the right reasons.
She stunned the field to win the 100 breaststroke in last year’s league finals, but it really wasn’t a surprise considering Larson had been notching consistently good times throughout the season and just happened to peak when it mattered the most.
Although Larson said she’s looking to play water polo in college, she could change her mind if her times keep improving. Larson has been swimming since she was 2, and her first memory of being in competition came when she was a 5 year old swimming for San Benito Aquatics.
When Larson was on the blocks, she looked over to one of her competitors and saw a boy who was probably double her size.
“He was probably 7 or 8,” she said. “I just remember the other coaches being amazed a 5-year-old girl was on the blocks in this race.”
No one is amazed any longer.
