Vikings get back on the Winning track by sweeping Gunn

The Palo Alto Viking swim team got back to the team winning ways as the swept the cross town rival Gunn Titans. It was a brisk and windy day but that didn't stop the Vikings from heating up the pool. All 4 teams looked good and swam a great meet on their way to the sweep. The Vikings also helped Coach Dye collect his 97th and 98th career wins as a Viking coach. He will look to make it an even 100 next week against Saratoga.

The Varsity Lady Vikings avenged their only loss last year with a convincing win 125-61. Jasmine Tosky, Sarah Liang and Margaret Wenzlau were all double winners for the Vikes. Tosky swam the 200 and 500 Freestyles in times of: 1:48.23 and 5:05.97. Sarah was just as strong in the 200 IM and 100 Breaststroke winning with times of 2:10.39 and 1:08.35. Margaret scored her two wins in the 50 Freestyle, 25.05, and the 100 Butterfly 57.78. Other winners for the Vikings include Grace Greenwood in diving, with a 6 dive score of 220.35, and Sabrina Lee in the 100 Backstroke with a time of 1:00.51. The Lady Vikes also won the 200 Medley Relay. Lee, Laura Cui, Wenzlau and Tosky came in at 1:49.82. The 400 Free Relay of Liang, Lee, Wenzlau and Tosky came home in a great time of 3:36.10. It was a strong performance for the Lady Vikes as they head into this weekends Section Challenge. They are now 7-0 on the season.

The Varsity boys got back to their winning ways with a strong victory against Gunn. The boys won by a score of 130-56. The boys won all 12 events on their way to the victory. Byron Sanborn, Rollin Lau and Andrew Liang were all double winners on the day. Sanborn won the 200 IM in a time of 2:02.73 and the 100 Breaststroke in a time of 1:02.58. Lau won the longer races of the day with a victory in the 200 Freestyle, 1:52.40, and the 500 Freestyle, 5:07.91. Liang swimming the shorter freestyle events won the 50 Freestyle in a blistering time of 21.88 and the 100 Freestyle in a time of 50.85. Other winners include Cole Plambeck in the diving with a 6 dive total of 236.47, DJ Fotsch in the 100 Butterfly in a time of 57.15 and Willie Lee in the backstroke with a strong time of 55.90. The boys also swept the relays. The 200 Medley relay of Lee, Sanborn, Fotsch and Eren Kiris won in a time of 1:42.09. The 200 Freestyle Relay of Youngkuk Lee, Fotsch, Lee and Liang came home with a time of 1:33.35. And the 400 Freestyle Relay of Sanborn, Kiris, Lau and Liang finished off the day with a time of 3:24.92. It was a great victory to get the boys back on track and get them ready for this weekends Section Challenge. The boys improved to 6-1 on the season.

The JV Girls won today and stayed a perfect 7-0 with a score of 104-82. The JV lady Vikes were led by double winners Haley Mortenson and Kristina Nguyen. Mortenson won the 200 Free in a time of 2:06.48 and the 100 Freestyle in a time of 58.20. Nguyen won the 50 Freestyle in a time of 27.23 and the 100 Backstroke in a time of 1:06.26. Other winners included Zoe Greene in diving with a 6 dive total of 157.65 and Megan Brendanberg in the 100 Breaststroke with a time of 1:13.30. The girls also won the 200 Medley Relay out touching Gunn by less than 2 tenths of a second. Nguyen, Brendanberg, Jessica Cox and Quitterie Colignon won in a time of 2:04.27. The 400 Freestyle relay of Mortenson, Nguyen, Cox and Brendanberg finished of the day with a time of 4:02.95. The JV Lady Vikes look to finish off a perfect season next week against Saratoga.

The JV Boys also won today with a strong showing. Winners for the Viking JV Boys included Will Conner in the 200 Freestyle with a time of 2:04.17. Quinn Rockwell won the 50 Freestyle in a time of 24.60. Omri Newman took home the victory in the 50 Butterfly with a time of 27.83. Ethan Look won the 500 freestyle with a time of 5:38.24 and Josh Oh won the 100 Backstroke in a time of 1:07.98. The JV Boys also won the 400 Freestyle Relay. Newman, Oh, Look and Rockwell won with a time of 3:50.44. The JV Boys improved to 6-1 and look to finish off a strong season next week against Saratoga.

It was a great day for the Viking swimmers and they look to continue the strong showing against the Bay area and Inland Valleys best this weekend in the Section Challenge. The meet starts at 9 am at the Mackenzie Aquatics Center at Palo Alto this Saturday, April 23rd.

Palo Alto moves to 5-0 in all divisions

The Palo Alto took the heat from the day and added some sizzle in the pool. All 4 teams won today over Homestead to move their record to 5-0. The Vikings showed fine speed as well as depth. It was a great all around effort from all 4 teams.

The Lady Vikes swam a great meet against Homestead winning by a final score of 141-44. The 200 Medley Relay got the day started off. Sarah Lee, Laura Cui, Margaret Wenzlau and Jennifer Chang turned in a time of 1:52.88. Double event winners included Jasmine Tosky in the 200 Free, 1:57.98, and the 100 Butterfly, 57.25. Margaret Wenzlau scored a victory in the 200 IM with a time of 2:14.83. Gracie Greenwood brought home the victory in Diving with a 6 dive score of 242.35. Molly Zebker won the 500 Freestyle in a time of 5:15.74. The 200 Freestyle Relay of Jayna Wittenbrink, Jennifer Chang, Molly Zebker and Jasmine Tosky came in first with a time of 1:42.27. Megan Okada won the 100 Backstroke with a time of 1:02.44. Laura Cui brought home victory in the 100 Breaststroke clocking a 1:09.72. The 400 Freestyle Relay of Wittenbrink, Lee, Wenzlau and Tosky finished off the day with a win in a time of 3:44.64. The Lady Vikes swam a great meet and look to extend their unbeaten streak next week against Monta Vista.

The Varisty Boys showed great depth and speed in their 134-48 victory over Homestead. The 200 Medley Relay of Willie Lee, Byron Sanborn, DJ Fotsch and Youngkuk Lee started off the day with a win in a time of 1:44.11. Rollin Lau scored a victory in the 200 Free with a season best time of 1:49.80. Willie Lee was a double winner taking home the 200 IM in a time of, 2:03.79, and the 100 Back with a time of 55.60. Arseny Kotov also scored 2 victories with wins in the 50 Freestyle, 22.83, and the 100 Freestyle, 49.77. Andrew Liang swam a strong 100 Butterfly and won with a time of 53.26. Cole Plambeck won the diving with a 6 dive score of 217.65. Corso Rosati added a victory in the 500 Freestyle with a time of 5:31.40, and Byron Sanborn won the 100 Breaststroke with a time of 1:00.50. Both Freestyle relays added victory. The 200 Freestyle Relay of Andrew Liang, Rollin Lau, Byron Sanborn and Arseny Kotov clocked in at 1:30.18 and the 400 Freestyle Relay of Liang, Lee, Kotov and Sanborn won in a time of 3:29.37. The Viking boys will look to stay perfect next week as they take on the defending League Champion Monta Vista Matadors.

The JV Lady Vikes swam a strong meet taking victory with a score of 140-43. The Lady Vikes won all 3 relays on the day. The 200 Medley Relay of Katrina Nguyen, Chelsea Chen, Jessica Cox and Quitterie Colignon won in a time of 2:08.96. The 200 Freestyle Relay of Isabel Seife, Chelsea Chen, Rachel Vershel and Haley Mortensen won in a time of 1:54.93. And the 400 Freestyle Relay of Haley Mortenson, Quitterie Colignon, Rachel Vershel and Katrina Ngyuen clocked in at 4:03.49. Double winners on the day included Haley Mortenson in the 200 Freestyle, 2:04.42, and the 500 Freestyle with a time of 5:43.82. Katrina Nguyen also won twice taking the 100 Freestyle, 58.60, and the 100 Backstroke with a CCS time of 1:04.63. Rachel Vershel won the 100 IM in a time of 1:10.69, Quitterie Colignon won the 50 Freestyle with a time of 28.10, Serena Yee won the diving with a 6 dive score of 205.10 and Chelsea Chen won the 100 Breaststroke with a time of 1:20.25. The JV girls look to extend their winning streak next week against Monta Vista.

The JV Boys moved to 5-0 with a strong win against Homestead by a score of 117-68. The 200 Medley Relay won in a time of 1:57.19. The 200 Freestyle Relay of Sam Kelley, Matthew Abbott, Will Mendenhall and Will Conner won in a time of 1:46.08. The 400 Freestyle Relay of Omri Newman, Josh Oh, Ethan Look and Quinn Rockwell finished off the day with a time of 3:42.17. Ethan Look was a double winner in the 200 Freestyle, 2:02.56, and the 500 Freestyle with a time of 5:28.00. Josh Oh was also a double winner with a time of 54.99 in the 100 Freestyle and a 1:06.02 in the 100 Backstroke. Quinn Rockwell clocked a 24.63 for victory in the 50 Freestyle. Noam Hurwitz scored a 6 dive total of 200.60 to win. Omri Newman won the 50 Butterfly with a time of 27.58. The JV boys look to stay undefeated next week against Monta Vista.

The Vikings looked great on the day. They look to extend their quest for League Titles next week in a tough match at Monta Vista. Come out and cheer the Vikings on. The meet is Friday, April 8th at 3:30 pm at Monta Vista.

Palo Alto moves to 4-0 on the season and 2-0 in League

The Palo Alto Swimming and Diving teams continued to swim well this season. All 4 teams won and improved to 4-0 on the season Friday against Los Gatos.

The Varsity Girls continued some strong swimming with a winning score of 134-52. Individual winners included Jasmine Tosky in the 200 Freestyle with a time of 1:52.21. Sabrina Lee brought home victory in the 50 Freestyle with a time of 24.83. Margaret Wenzlau won the 100 Butterfly in a time of 59.12. Megan Okada won the 100 Backstroke with a time of 1:02.22. Sarah Liang was the days double winner. She won the 200 Im in a time of 2:13.11 and the 100 Breaststroke in a time of 1:09.33. Grace Greenwood won the diving portion of the meet. All 3 relays also won. The 200 Medley Relay of Sabrina Lee, Laura Cui, Margaret Wenzlau and Jasmine Tosky won with a time of 1:52.88. The 200 Freestyle relay of Sarah Liang, Jayna Wittenbrink, Margaret Wenzlau and Jasmine Tosky clocked a 1:39.60. And the 400 Freestyle Relay of Sarah Liang, Jayna Wittenbrink, Sabrina Lee and Jasmine Tosky finished off the day with a time of 3:38.28.

The Varsity Boys had a tougher go of it getting by Los Gatos by a score of 98-88. The 200 Medley Relay of William Lee, Byron Sanborn, DJ Fotsch and Arseny Kotov got the meet off to a great start with a victory in a time of 1:40.77 edging out Los Gatos by .17 seconds. Rollin Lau was a double winner taking the 200 Freestyle in a time of 1:50.69 and the 500 Freestyle in a time of 5:01.46. Byron Sanborn was also a double winner starting with the 200 IM in a time of 1:58.66 then bringing home a win in the 100 Breaststroke with a time of 1:00.24 edging Los Gatos by .18 seconds. Cole Plambeck won the diving portion of the meet. It was a true team effort for the Vikings and was a big victory on their way to trying to recapture the league title.

The JV Girls won 107-63. Haley Mortenson won the 200 Freestyle in a time of 2:08.21 and the 500 Freestyle in a time of 5:51.60. Megan Brendenberg was also a double winner with a time of 1:07.33 to win the 100 IM and 1:13.89 to win the 100 Breaststroke. Katrina Nguyen also notched to wins in the 50 Freestyle at 27.67 and the 100 Backstroke with a time of 1:05.89. Jessica Cox won the 50 Butterfly with a time of 30.88. The 200 Freestyle Relay of Mortenson, Martine Leclerc, Isabel Seife and Quitterie Collignon won in a time of 1:54.58. And the 400 Freestyle Relay of Ngyuen, Collignon, Chelsea Chen and Mortenson finished off the day with a time of 4:08.18. Nadya Nee brought home the win in the diving.

The JV Boys made it close but still remained undefeated with a 97-86 win. The 200 Medley Relay of Sam Kelley, Matthew Abbott, Ethan Look and Quinn Rockwell got it started with a time of 2:00.15. Quinn Rockwell was a double winner with victories in the 50 Freestyle, 25.42, and the 100 Freestyle, 57.02. Sam Kelly also won two events winning the 50 Butterfly, 30.40, and the 100 Backstroke with a time of 1:10.12. Ethan Look won the 500 Freestyle with a time of 5:33.59. The 400 Freestyle Relay of Will Conner, Andrew Watson, Ethan Look and Quinn Rockwell finished off the day in a time of 3:53.64. Noam Hurwitz won the diving portion of the meet.

All of the Viking teams now stand at 4-0 and will continue their quest for league champions next Friday at home against Homestead. Come on out and support your Vikings as the continue to swim hard and win!!

Cole Plambeck breaks school diving record at Palo Alto Diving Invitational

The last few days have been a busy one for the Palo Alto swimming and diving team. Along with a dual meet against Los Gatos, and the St. Francis Invitational, Palo Alto hosted a diving invitational on Saturday as well.

The day was a great one for the divers. There were great scores and some outstanding diving. Cole Plambeck recorded a score of 497.90. This score breaks the school record of Chris Dale which was set in 1974. The meet was a great day for other Palo Alto boy divers as both Alex Francis, 374.30, and Jordan Zenger, 316.20 qualified for CCS. Joseph Solvason rounded out a great diving day but came up just short of CCS with a score of 268.60.

The day was just as bright for the Lady Vikes. Grace Greenwood placed 3rd with a score of 433.15. All of the other Paly girls qualified for CCS. Nadya Nee scored 349.55 points for 12th, Emma Miller scored 344.20 for 13th and Serena Yee scored 332.95 for 14th.

Noam Hurwitz scored 124.65 points in the 8 dive JV Boys division for 1st place.

The weather started wet, but that didn't stop the competition from heating up the pool. It was a great day for the divers and congratulations to Cole for his achievement and all of the Paly divers who qualified for CCS.

Varsity Girls pull out a 1 point Victory over Mitty in St. Francis Invitational

The Palo Alto Girls swam a great meet, and then waited until the last relay to overcome a strong effort by Archbishop Mitty, to gain a 1 point victory in the St. Francis Yamamoto Invitational.

The Lady Vikes started off the day with a victory in the 400 Freestyle Relay. Sarah Liang, Sabrina Lee, Jayna Wittenbrink and Jasmine Tosky combine for a time of 3:31.47. This beat out St. Francis for by 1.39 seconds. Kristina Xiang, Rachelle Holmgren, Laura Cui and Anna Glaves placed an important 5th to help add to the points.

The girls also brought home victory in the 400 Medley Relay with a time of 3:59.98. Sabrina Lee, Sarah Liang, Molly Zebker and Jayna Wittenbrink, swam a great race to out pace 2nd place St. Francis by over 2 seconds.

Individual winners included Jasmine Tosky a double winner taking home the 400 IM in a time of 4:15.11 and the 200 Butterfly in a time of 2:01.49. Sabrina Lee was also a winner in the 200 Backstroke with a time of 2:07.83, while Sarah Liang brought home victory in the 200 Breaststroke with a time of 2:27.59.

The Lady Vikes were down 11 points going into the last event. The 200 Freestyle Relay of Sabrina Lee, Margaret Wenzlau, Sarah Liang and Jasmine Tosky won in a time of 1:38.02, .76 seconds ahead of St. Francis. Just as important the relay of Paige Devine, Megan Okada, Kristina Xiang and Anna Glaves placed 6th. These two relays made up the 11 point deficit with 1 point to spare giving the Paly Girls a 1 point victory.

The win on top of a 4-0 dual meet record to start the year has the Lady Vikes feeling strong and confident going into the remaining season. A strong showing against the top teams, St. Francis and Archbishop Mitty have the Palo Alto Lady Vikes, feeling confident about winning their 9th league title in a row, and taking a shot at winning CCS.

Palo Alto starts off the league season with a sweep of Lynbrook

The Palo Alto Viking Swimming Team started out the League season with a sweep of Lynbrook. All 4 divisions swam a great meet on their way to beginning the season 3-0 and starting off the league season at 1-0. The weather cooperated for wonderful day at the Palo Alto pool and the Viking swimmers responded with a great day.

The Varsity Girls showed their strength and depth with a 148-30 win over Lynbrook. The Lady Vikes won all of their events. The girls won all 3 relays. The winning 200 Medley Relay consisting of Paige Devine, Laura Cui, Molly Zebker and Jennifer Chang came in at a time of 1:56.01. The 200 Free Relay including Sarah Liang, Sabrina Lee, Margaret Wenzlau and Jasmine Tosky clocked in at 1:42.50 and the same quartet won the 400 Free Relay in a time of 3:44.56. Double winners on the day included Jasmine Tosky in the 200 Freestyle at a time of 1:58.05 and the 500 Freestyle in a time of 5:20.27. Sarah Liang won the 200 IM in a time of 2:16.65 and the 100 Breaststroke in a time of 1:09.39. Sabrina Lee contributed two victories with a win in the 100 Freestyle at 54.34 and the 100 Backstroke in a time of 1:00.27. Other winners included Freshman Jayna Wittenbreck in the 50 Freestyle with a time of 25.46 and Margaret Wenzlau in the 100 Butterfly with a time of 58.08. Grace Greenwood added a victory in the diving portion of the meet helping the girls to a sweep of all events and a strong start to their league season.

The Viking Boys, who won with a score of 113-67, were led by double winners Byron Sanborn, Rollin Lau and Freshman Andrew Liang. Sanborn won the 200 IM in a time of 2:03.88 and the 100 Breaststroke in a time of 1:03.69. Lau brought home victories in the 200 Free with a season best time of 1:50.93 and the 500 Freestyle with a time of 5:04.80. Freshman Liang won the sprint events with a time of 21.72 in the 50 Freestyle and a time of 48.98 in the 100 Freestyle. Other winners included DJ Fotsch in the 100 Butterfly with a season best time of 57.58 and Freshman Willie Lee in the 100 Backstroke with a time of 56.75. Cole Plambeck won the diving as the Viking boys swept all of the individual events. They didn't stop there as they also swept the Relay events. The foursome of Lee, Sanborn, Fotsch and Lau won the 200 Medley Relay in a time of 1:42.91. The 200 Freestyle team of Liang, Lee, Fotsch and Kotov won in a time of 1:33.11, and the 400 Freestyle Relay of Kotov, Lau, Liang and Sanborn brought home the sweep with a time of 3:21.92. It was a strong victory for the Vikings and helped them on their way to reclaiming their League championship.

The JV Girls also swam well and dominated winning the meet 121-62. The won 10 of the 12 events and tied one. Double winners included Haley Mortenson in the 200 Freestyle and 500 Freestyle in times of 2:08.93 and 5:51.99. Jessica Cox won the 100 IM in a time of 1:11.61 and the 50 Butterfly in a time of 30.85. Katrina Nguyen won the 50 Freestyle in a time of 27.07 and the 100 Backstroke in a time of 1:06.04. Quitterie Collignon won the 100 Freestyle in a time of 1:01.04 and Abby Bromberg tied for a victory in the 100 breaststroke with a time of 1:18.74. The JV Lady Vikes won 2 of the 3 relays. Nguyen, Chelsea Chen, Cox and Isabel Seife won the 200 Medley Relay in a time of 2:08.74, while Nguyen, Collignon, Cox and Mortenson won the 400 Free Relay in a time of 4:08.23. Zoe Greene won the diving portion for the JV Girls. It was a great start to their League season as they hope to claim the title for the 11th year in a row.

The JV Boys had the tougher time of the group but still brought home victory with a score of 96-87. Connor Fotsch was a double winner with victories in the 100 IM and the 50 Butterfly bringing home times of 1:03.21 and 28.34. Quinn Rockwell was also a double winner in the 50 and 100 Freestyles with times of 24.86 and 56.31. The boys also won both Freestyle Relays. Rockwell, Matthew Abbott, Will Conner and Omri Newman won the 200 Free Relay in a time of 1:42.92 and Fotsch, Conner, Ethan Look and Newman won the 400 Free Relay in a time of 3:45.34. Noam Hurwitz won the diving to help seal the victory.

It was a great day in the pool for the Vikings and they are looking forward to a great season. Their next meet is in 2 weeks at Los Gatos High School where a strong Los Gatos team awaits them. Come on out and cheer them to Victory.

Palo Alto Girls defend Title in Spring Invite

While there were concerns about the weather all week for this years Spring Invite, hosted at Palo Alto, it turned out to be a great day for swimming. The Palo Alto swimmers took advantage and had a great meet! The Varsity Girls defended their title to win for the 4th year in a row at their own Invitational. The Lady Vikes scored 258 points to outdistance second place finisher The Kings Academy who scored 140 points. Los Gatos scored 139 points for 3rd place. The Viking Boys, swimming with a lineup missing 3 of their top swimmers, swam well for the day, earning 3rd place, behind eventual winner Los Gatos and 2nd place finisher Monta Vista.

The Varsity girls had great swims throughout the day. The won all 3 relays. The 200 Medley Relay of Paige Devine, Laura Cui, Molly Zebker and Jennifer Chang won in a time of 1:56.00. The 200 Freestyle of Kristina Xiang, Molly Zebker, Kimberly Hallsted and Jennifer Chang brought home first in at time of 1:45.43. The 1st place 400 Freestyle Relay of Rachelle Holmgren, Kimberly Hallsted, Molly Zebker and Laura Cui came home in a time of 3:51.62. Other winners for the Lady Vikes included Molly Zebker who brought home first in the 200 IM in a time of 2:16.36, Grace Greenwood who won the diving event with a 6 dive score of 235.80 and Laura Cui who won the 100 Breaststroke in a time of 1:10.14. All of the Varsity Girls did a great job and the team showed it's depth in the early meet.

The Varsity boys while swimming without 3 of their top swimmers also swam a great meet having to go against a fully loaded Los Gatos team. Some of the strong swims turned in by the Viking Boys were Rollin Lau who placed 2nd in the 200 Freestyle with a time of 1:51.91, Jordan Zenger who placed 2nd in diving with a 6 dive total of 209.60 and DJ Fotsch who brought home 3rd place in the 100 Butterfly in 58.81. Charles Zhang helped the boys with two 4th place finishes in the 200 IM 2:06.90 and 100 Breaststroke 1:07.02. The Boys 400 Freestyle Relay finished off the day with a strong 2nd place showing. The relay of Arseny Kotov, Eren Kiris, Charles Zhang and Rollin Lau finished with a strong time of 3:26.58. All of the boys swam well and hard getting themselves ready for the league season starting next week.

The JV Girls got a second place finish to Monta Vista High School. Quitterie Colignon was a double winner taking the 50 Freestyle in a time of 28.00 and the 100 Freestyle in a time of 1:01.02. Other individual winners included Haley Mortenson in the 200 Free in a time of 2:07.13, and Zoe Greene with a 6 dive total of 163.65. The JV Girls swam a great meet and are looking forward to defending their league title starting next week.

The JV boys had a great day as well finishing 2nd to Monta Vista as well. There were two individual winners for the JV Boys. Quinn Rockwell won the 50 Freestyle in a time of 24.14 and Noam Hurwitz won the diving with a 6 dive total of 152.55. The JV Boys finished off the day in fine fashion with a victory in the 400 Freestyle relay. The winning relay of Quinn Rockwell, Ethan Look, Connor Fotsch and Omri Newman had a time of 3:48.27. The JV boys are looking forward to a very competitive and exciting season!!

The Vikings had a great week going 2-0 in all divisions in their Tuesday double dual meet against Los Altos and Menlo and showing well in the Spring Invite on Saturday. They look to get started on a successful league season starting this Friday against Lynbrook. The meet will be at Palo Alto High School starting at 3:30 pm.

Come on out and support your Vikings as the year is shaping up to be a very successful one!!!