Disclaimer: Reese Meister is a member of the FVHS swim team.
By Reese Meister
On Tuesday, Fountain Valley High School (FVHS)’s swim team competed against the Huntington Beach Oilers (HBHS). The girls won their meet with a score of 68.24 to 31.76 points, while the boys lost 35.29 to 64.71.
The girls’ medley relay teams led off the meet by placing first and second in their heat. Freshmen Leyna Nguyen and Kaitlyn Nguyen, junior Yen Dang and senior and team captain Phoebe Munholland held the lead throughout the entire race, finishing with a time of 1:52.07. The boys’ relay consisted of juniors Justin Chen and Benjamin Pham and seniors Tyler Vuong and Sean Kemick; they placed a close second with a time of 1:41.34.
The girls’ 200-yard freestyle was a tight race but Leyna Nguyen fought hard and earned second place with a time of 2:04.61. Similarly in the boys’ 200-yard freestyle, junior Brendan Pham placed second with a time of 1:53.76 after having a quick start to his race.
Kaitlyn Nguyen swept the competition in the 200-yard individual medley with a time of 2:08.53. Following her were sophomores Reese Meister and Cassidy Dang who placed second and third in the heat. For the boys, Chen and Benjamin Pham touched less than one second apart to finish in second and third place.
In the 50-yard freestyle, Munholland took first place with an impressive time of 24.89 followed by Yen Dang securing the second spot. During the boys’ race, Vuong finished in third place a 23.06.
Yen Dang then secured first in the 100-yard butterfly with her time of 1:00.68; she had gained an early lead and extended it throughout. Benjamin Pham swam a 56.15, earning second place after being neck and neck with an Oiler the entire race. Junior Jaden Herman followed behind and finished third.
In the 100-yard freestyle, Munholland once again dominated the competition with a time of 55.19, while Leyna Nguyen and senior Emme Nguyen touched second and third. Sean Kemick placed third for the boys’ event with his time of 52.15.
Cassidy Dang had an exciting swim in the 500-yard freestyle with a time of 5:48.97. Within the last 100-yards, Dang sped up to pass competitors and earn second place for the team. Brendan Pham also had a close race with his time of 5:06.91, out-touching his competitor to win the heat by just half a second.
The next event was the fast-paced 200-yard freestyle relay. The girls’ varsity team, made up of Leyna Nguyen, Reese Meister, junior Peyton Sherwood and Munholland won the race by five seconds. The boys’ relay of senior Bryce Leach, sophomore Gavin Tran, freshman Ranen Herman and Benjamin Pham who placed third with a time of 1:32.93.
The girls’ 100-yard backstroke resulted in a fantastic finish by Emme Nguyen and freshman Kayla Nguyen who placed first and second, respectively. Junior Justin swam the boys’ equivalent at 57.60 to secure third place for the Barons.
Then, Kaitlyn Nguyen won first by over four seconds with a time of 1:05.04 in the 100-yard breaststroke; Sherwood finished third. For the boys, Vuong earned second place with a 1:02.43.
In the final event, the 400 freestyle relay, the girls’ team which consisted of Emme Nguyen, sophomore Jianna Balta, junior Rylie Fox and Yen Dang finished second. They were just about one second behind the HBHS team. The boys’ relay had Chen, Jaden Herman, Vuong and Kemick and managed to take second place at the end of the meet.
“I think we’re doing really well so far this season—a lot of good swims from the guys and girls,” varsity team captain Munholland said. “We’re going to have a good season. I think a lot of us will make CIF this year.”
Munholland expressed enthusiasm and confidence in the team and head coach Christine Locke shared a similar excitement for improving in the upcoming meets.
“I think we’re doing good so far, but we do still need to do more work,” Locke said. “The first league meet of the season—that’s always a good way to gauge where we’re at [and] what we need to do. So I’m excited for the season, and there’s always work to do.”
The Barons’ next meet will take place at Laguna High School on Tuesday, March 29 at 3 p.m.
