Vikings conclude season, look towards 2011

The 2010 Swimming and Diving season has finished and as always the young Vikings have every reason to hold their heads high and be proud of their efforts. Both the boys and girls teams this year set their expectations at a high level. Win the league championship, and bring home hardware from CCS. The girls did just that winning the League Championship and placing 2nd, for the second year in a row, at CCS. The boys came close, placing 2nd at leagues and 6th, moving up one spot from last year, in CCS.

Both teams were young, and the athletes grew up right before our very eyes this season. The responded by swimming hard and

adding themselves to the strong history and tradition of Palo Alto Swimming.

The girls had their goals set: win Leagues and CCS. While suffering an early dual meet loss to Gunn early in the season, the girls never lost confidence or focus. They new that the season was a long one, and ran until the League Championship meet, they responded by using their entire roster and depth and beating Gunn at the League Championship meet to add to their streak and now claim 9 League Championships in a row. The story did not repeat itself at CCS. The girls came in as underdogs to a strong Mitty team. While they made up points on the returning champions the girls fell just short. The Viking squad this year was led by Jasmine Tosky who won two events at Leagues and two events at CCS. She was a 7 time All American, 5 individual and 2 relays, and set records at both the League meet and at CCS. She recorded League records in the 200 and 100 Freestyle events. She turned around and then set CCS records in the 200 Freestyle and 100 Butterfly. Along the way she broke 2 more school records, the 200 Freestyle and the 100 Butterfly. Sarah Liang also helped to lead the Vikings by recording victories at Leagues in the 200 IM and the 100 Breaststroke. She showed her strength at CCS with a 3rd place finish in the 200 IM and a second place finish in the 100 Breaststroke. Margaret Wenzlau, Sabrina Lee, Molly Zebker also helped to pace the Vikings with strong performances at both Leagues and CCS. Grace Greenwood brought the Diving program along for the ride with a 1st place finish and then placed 5th at CCS. Sophie Jorasch and Emma Miller also helped the Vikings this year with points at CCS. The Viking woman showed that swimming is a team sport, they empowered and cheered each other on all year. It was a great year, from a wonderful group of athletes!!

After graduating 4 key seniors from last year the boys were looking at a young lineup to try and catch their 6th League Championship in a row. Led by Byron Sanborn the boys made quite a run at that attempt. Picked early in the year to place 4th in Leagues, the boys not only placed second but put a strong run at first against a powerful Monta Vista lineup. The boys came up just short. Byron Sanborn won the 100 breaststroke and placed 3rd in the 200 IM. Arseny Kotov, Rollin Lau, Corso Rosati, DJ Fotsch and Alex Francis all finaled twice, and Charles Zhang missed by 1/100th of a second to lead the charge. Cole Plambeck won the diving event along with a strong 3rd place finish by Jordan Zenger, and a 5th by Francis to stake the team to an early lead. Going into CCS the boys, as a young team, were not sure what to expect. Diving got them started off great, and with some strong swimming the boys moved up a spot for a 6th place finish. While no hardware was presented to the team, this was a huge finish for a young team. Byron Sanborn brought home a victory in the 100 Breaststroke, the first in 8 years for the boys. Along the way this

young team gave themselves an identity and confidence in to the future. They know where they belong, and will work hard to put themselves back on top in 2011.

The JV girls set 8 new school records, and won their 9th League Championship in a row. Along the way Lauren Lo won two league titles in the 100 IM and the 100 Backstroke. Shannon Scheel won a league title in the 100 Freestyle. The JV girls also swept all 3 relays on their way to an upset win at the League Championship and avenging an ealier loss to Gunn High School.

The future looks bright for the Palo Alto Vikings, and looking back on this successful 2010 season is one of the reasons to be optimistic. All Viking swimmers and divers proved what it meant to be a student/athlete. They put

in hard work both in the classroom and in the pool to represent Palo Alto High School in fine tradition. As we close the 2010 season we wish our wonderful senior class all of the best in the future. They brought a lot to the program and

they will sorely be missed. But their leadership has brought on a young and hungry group ready to take the Torch and carry it into the future.

CONGRATULATIONS VIKINGS ON ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL AND MEMORY FILLED

SEASON!!!!

Girls Extend League Championship Streak to 8

The Palo Alto girls swimming team has learned the value of depth over the past few years. Just a few years ago, it was depth and a team effort that allowed them to hold off a talented Monta Vista team to years in a row to win their League Championships. This year, the team needed every swimmer and some fast swims to hold of rival Gunn. The girls did just that with a 34 point victory and their 8th straight League Championship. It was a tightly fought contest with great swims from both schools. The girls were looking to avenge their only loss of the year when they swam short handed against Gunn back in April. They did just that with great swims from the entire team.

Jasmine Tosky led the way with blistering swims in her 2 events. She broke a 12 year old league record in the 200 Freestyle with a time of 1:47.86, while also lowering the league record she set in prelims in the 100 Freestyle to 50.20 to record her second victory of the meet. Sarah Liang also had two victories as she won the 200 IM in a time of 2:05.96, she also recorded a victory in the 100 Breaststroke with a time of 1:05.75. Margaret Wenzlau recored a victory in the 100 Butterfly with a time of 57.43, while placing 5th in the 50 Freestyle in a time of 24.88. Sabrina Lee helped the cause with a 4th place finish in the 100 Backstroke in 100.39, and a 7th place finish in the 100 Freestyle with at time of 53.98. Laura Cui finaled in both her events swimming personal best in the 200 IM, 2:14.54, and a fourth place finish in the 100 Breaststroke with a time of 1:08.41. Gracie Greenwood got the meet started off on the right tone with a victory in diving by a mere 1.35 points. The trio of Rachelle Holmgren, Kimberly Hallsted and Danielle Carlson placed 1,2,3 in the consolation heat of the 20o Freestyle for some valuable points, and Holmgren and Carlson placed 6th and 8th respectively in the 500.

The best race of the day was the 200 Freestyle Relay. The girls looking for a victory to hold of the feisty Titans swam hard on the first 3 legs of the race, Tosky entered the water behind by about 6 yards. She swam a fast split of 22.58 to out touch the Titan team and set the tone for the remainder of the meet.

Congratulations to the girls for their 8th League Championship in a row. This will certainly get them set up to make a run at the CCS Championship coming up May 21st and 22nd.

The JV Girls came in also looking to avenge their only loss of the year, and pulled out a 22 point victory over the Gunn team. The victory was the JV Girls 10th League Championship in a row.

Laura Lo won both the 100 IM, in a league record, 1:06.26 and just missing another league record in the 100 Backstroke with a time of 1:04.36. Shannon Scheel won the 100 Freestyle in a time of 57.89 and placed 3rd in the 100 IM with a time of 1:07.35.The JV Viking girls also scored victories in all 3 relays. The 200 Medley Relay of Lo, Chelsea Chen, Haley Mortenson, and Beth Nakamura won with a time of 2:01.22. The 200 Freestyle relay of Haley Connor, Chen, Nakamura and Scheel won in a time of 1:49.12. And the 400 Freestyle Relay of Lo, Mortensen, Connor and Scheel finished off the meet in a time of 3:57.84 setting a new league record.

Boys swim hard, make valiant effort to defend League Championships

The Palo Alto boys swimming team were hoping for a strong finish in League Championships. They came close and it was a valiant effort, but came up short. Monta Vista prevailed by a score of 414-354. The boys came in seeded down 113 points, they made 80 of that up in the prelim day, combined with diving and they had a chance on Fridays finals day. The Paly boys swam hard, yet Monta Vista showed a determined focus and were able to hold the Paly boys off, to break Paly's League Championship streak at 5.

Byron Sanborn lead the way with a second place finish in the 200 IM at a personal best, 1:55.70. He also recorded a victory in a very close 100 Breaststroke at 59.92. Corso Rosati was the surprise swimmer of the meet with eye dropping time drops on his swims. He finaled in both the 100 Butterfly and the 500 Freestyle. His 100 Butterfly time of 55.18 was good for 5th, while his time of 5:03.15 placed him 7th in the 500 Freestyle. DJ Fotsch also finaled in two events, placing 8th in the 100 Butterfly with a time of 56.04, and 8th in the 200 Freestyle with a time of 1:54.56. Rollin Lau was also a 2 time finalist for the Viking placing 7th in the 200 IM at 2:03.65, and placing 4th in the 500 with a time personal best time of 4:57.73. Freshman Alex Francis was the final swimmer to place in two finals showing his versatility with a 5th place finish in diving at 283.90 and an 8th placing finish in the 200 IM at 2:06.24. Charles Zhang also had a great meet, he narrowly missed two finals, being just touched out by 1/100 of a second in the 100 Breast. He finished 6th in the 200 IM at 2:03.34, and 9th in the 100 Breast at 1:04.07.

The boys swam hard with a young team, and in finishing second they set themselves up with some great swims and a positive outlook for CCS, and for starting a new League Championship winning streak next year.

Girls Defend Section Challenge Title

The Paly girls defended their Section Challenge Title. As with last year it came down to the final relay. Last year the girls just needed to hold Campolindo off, this year they needed a victory for a come from behind win over Mitty. It was a day filled with fast swims and great races.

Results Here

Jasmine Tosky and Sarah Liang lead the way with 2 victories each. Tosky won the 200 Freestyle in a time of 1:50.12 shattering the existing Section challenge record by 6 seconds. She also brought home victory in the 500 Freestyle recording a time of 4:51.35, again shattering the existing Section Challenge record, this time by 10 seconds. Both of these times were also good for Automatic All American times. Liang was victorious in the 200 IM with a time of 2:05.18 and again in the 100 Breaststroke with a time of 1:05.73.

Maragaret Wenzlau and Sabrina Lee had great swims to help the cause. Wenzlau tied for second in the 50 Freestyle with a time of 24.87, and also placed third in the Butterfly with a season best 57.16. Sabrina placed 4th in both the 100 Freestyle and the 100 Backstroke clocking 54.46 and 59.83 respectively. Gracie Greenwood took 2nd place in the diving with a score of 403.55, while Sophie Jorasch and Emma Miller finished 4th and 5th.

The girls also won both Freestyle Relays. The 200 Freestyle Relay won as Tosky came from behind to overtake to schools. Along with Lee and Wenzlau, Jennifer Chang helped in the win. The 400 Freestyle Relay was won with Liang, Lee, Wenzlau and Tosky.

The boys finished 8th. There were strong swims from Byron Sanborn who finished 5th in the 200 IM with a time of 1:59.34 and then 3rd in the 100 Breast with a time of 1:00.44. Cole Hamels placed second in the Diving competition with a score of 424.50, Jordan Zenger placed 4th and Alex Francis 5th.

It was a great day for swimming with blue skies and sunny weather, the athletes didn't disappoint. The meet was fast and exciting right down to the wire.

Paly will take their 6-1 dual meet records into their final meet of the season, this Thursday at Homestead. Come on out and support your team.

Results Updated

The results for the Lynbrook and Monta Vista meets are now available on the results page.

Paly Varsity Boys and Girls begin the Season 3-0 with League Victory over Los Gatos

The Palo Alto girls and boys swimming and diving teams swam their first league meet on Friday and continued their winning ways. Both teams started off the league season with victories to begin the quest to defend their League Championships.

The girls had a great day on their way to a 129-54 victory. Jasmine Tosky and Sabrina Lee paced the victory with 2 wins each. Jasmine won the 200 Freestyle in a time of 1:54.45 and was also victorious in the 100 Freestyle with a time of 53.50. Sabrina added victories in the 20 Freestyle with a time of 25.04 and the 100 Back with a time of 101.44. Other winners for the Vikings were Molly Zebkder in the 200 IM with a time of 2:16.72, Margaret Wenzlau in the 100 Butterfly with a time of 58.25, Sarah Liang in the 100 Breaststroke with a time of 1:07.63 and Gracie Greenwood in the diving competition with a score of 218.00. The girls also won all three relays. The Medley Relay of Paige Devine, Liang, Zebker and Wenzlau won with a time of 1:52.63. Lee, Wenzlau, Zebker and Tosky combined for a win in the 200 Freestyle Relay with a time of 1:40.83 and the 400 Freestyle Relay of Lee, Glaves, Tosky and Liang finished off the victory with a time of 3:40.57. The girls will look to continue their winning ways next Friday, March 26th at Palo Alto.

The boys put together a full team effort to pull off the victory against the Wildcats of Los Gatos. Rollin Lau, Charles Zhang and Cole Plambeck paced the win with solid victories. Lau won the 500 Freestyle in a time of 4:59.87, Zhang won the 100 Breast in a time of 1:05.68 and Cole Plambeck won the diving with a score of 195.00. The boys 200 Freestyle Relay of Bobby Abbott, Arseny Kotov, Rollin Lau and Youngkuk Lee also won with a time of 1:32.44. The boys used their solid swimming and depth to record strong swims and pick up important points is the 2nd, 3rd and 4th spots to help shore up the victory. The boy Vikings showed that swimming is a team sport with their effort. The boys will face another challenge next week hosting Monta Vista at Paly on March 26th at 3:30 pm.

See all the results here http://paloaltoswimming.org/Paly/Results.html

Come out and enjoy the sun and fun as these two great teams swim hard to continue their winning ways.

Paly Girls take 2nd at Yamamoto Invitational

The Paly girls took second place at the Steve Yamamoto Invitational at St. Francis on Saturday, March 13th. The girls finished second to St. Francis by 9 points but also beat defending CCS Champion Archbishop Mitty. Paly had some great swims including 2 Victories by Jasmine Tosky in the 400 IM and the 200 Fly. Other strong swims were turned in by Molly Zebker who finished right behind Jasmine in the 400 IM and the 200 Fly. Laura Cui helped the cause with a 2nd place finish in the 200 Breast and as well as Sabrina Lee who took a 2nd in the 200 Backstroke. The girls team did a great job and look forward to beginning the defense of their League Title this week at Palo Alto High School against Los Gatos. The meet will start at 3:30 pm. Come on out and root on your Vikings.

Los Gatos Meet on FRIDAY!!

The date of the Los Gatos meet has been changed to Friday, the 19th. To get updates when the schedule or website has changed, click on the link below and subscribe to the Paly Swimming News.

Website Updated

The Paly website has been updated and now includes a redesigned (but unfinished) results page. Please comment on what else you'd like to see.

Girls are Victorious in Spring Invite, Boys place 3rd

The Palo Alto girls team continued the strong start to their season with a victory in the Palo Alto Spring Invitational. The girls scored a total of 265 points to outpace 2nd place Los Gatos. It was another strong team effort. Sophie Jorasch was the lone individual winner in diving, but Laura Cui added to second place finishes in the 200 IM and the 100 Breaststroke. The girls also won the 200 Medley Relay and the 400 Free Relay. The girls will swim next at the Yamamoto Invitational at St. Francis.

The boys finished 3rd behind Los Gatos and Monta Vista. The boys will begin the defense of their League title on Friday March 19th at 3:30 pm at Paly High.

All Paly squads start the season 2-0

The Palo Alto Vikings got off to a great start as they prepare to defend their League Championships as all 4 divisions beat both Los Altos and Menlo. It was a team effort for the girls as they posted either victories or 2,3,4 finishes in all of the events. This shows the balance the young girls team has as they enter the season. Margaret Wenzlau, Laura Cui, Molly Zebker, along with Rachelle Holmgren, Danielle Carlson and Kaitlyn Tracy paced the Vikings to the victory. The boys got solid swims from Byron Sanborn, Rollin Lau, Arsony Kotov and Bobby Abbott on the way to their 2-0 start. The season continues next weekend as Paly hosts the Section Challenge on Friday March 5th and Saturday March 6th.

Palo Alto Practice Begins Feb. 1st

The Palo Alto Swimming and Diving practice begins Feb. 1st. Varsity athletes will be expected at the pool ready to swim by 3:30 pm, while the JV athletes will be expected at the pool at 5:30 pm.

Physical Forms and Booster Fee Due Feb. 5th

To all Palo Alto swimmers and divers. Your physical forms and booster money are due by Feb. 5th. The physical form can be found at the Palo Sports website. Here is the link. The booster fee is $150 and helps the boosters to support all of the sports.