By Cate Meister
Full disclosure: Cate Meister is a member of the FVHS swim team.
The Fountain Valley High School (FVHS) swim team competed against Ocean View on Friday, Mar. 19, marking the first pandemic-era home meet for the Barons. Both the girls and boys varsity teams emerged victorious, with scores of 140-25 and 123-26, respectively.
No spectators were allowed at the swim meet in order to maintain a COVID-safe meet environment. Swimmers were encouraged to stay off the pool deck until it was time for their race, and both schools’ teams were separated into different staging areas. Swimmers were situated off deck on the field between races.
The team started off with victories in the girls and boys 200 yard medley relays, securing first and second place in both races. Sophomore Yen Dang, junior Emme Nguyen, junior Phoebe Munholland and senior Sarah Hopkins won the girls 200 medley relay with a time of 1:56.70 while senior Ivan Nghi, sophomore Justin Chen, sophomore Jaden Herman and junior Tyler Vuong finished first in the boys 200 medley relay with a time of 1:45.70.
Sophomore Sierra Springer emerged victorious in the girls 200 freestyle, and junior Sean Kemick won the boys 200 yard freestyle.
Nguyen later secured first in the girls 200 yard individual medley with a time of 2:21.86, followed closely by Dang and freshman Reese Meister. In the boys individual medley, Nghi achieved a resounding victory, swimming a time of 2:02.86.
Hopkins won the girls 50 freestyle by nearly two full seconds at a time of 25.60 and later took first in the 100 yard backstroke as well. Kemmick and senior Derek Nakagawa finished closely in the boys 100 yard butterfly in a tight race, with times of 59.13 and 59.14, respectively.
FVHS relay teams took first and second again in the girls 200 yard freestyle relay. Leading the pack was Nguyen, senior Hannah Le, sophomore Peyton Sherwood and Munholland, whose relay team won with a time of 1:45.23. The boys team, made up of Kemick, junior Bryce Leach, Herman and Vuong, also took first; however, the second FVHS relay team competing in the boys 200 yard freestyle relay was disqualified due to a false start.
Nghi dominated the boys 100 yard backstroke with a time of 56.36, followed by Chen, who took second. Nghi later led the boys 400 yard freestyle relay team to victory at the end of the meet. Sherwood also secured a landslide victory in the girls 100 yard breaststroke with a personal best of 1:13.48.
“[I’m] looking forward to spending more time with the team and seeing everyone grow and become stronger [this season],” head coach Christine Locke said.
The Barons will compete against their rivals, the Edison Chargers, at FVHS at 3 pm on Friday, Mar. 26.
