MSJ Swims past the WHS Huskies, 432-262

By Staff Writer Anvi Kalucha

The MSJ Warriors faced off against the Washington High School Huskies on March 6. After sharp strokes and close races on both sides, MSJ Boys Varsity and Boys and Girls Junior Varsity defeated the Huskies; Unfortunately, Girls Varsity suffered a loss, albeit only by 20 points. The overall score was 423-262, with the Warriors crushing their competition.

This was the first league meet of the season for both of the teams, and MSJ had hoped to win all of the divisions. Speaking about the meet that took place against the Alameda High School Hornets earlier in the week, Girls Varsity Swimmer Senior Isabel Suh said, “On Tuesday, we had a meet that we thought was on Wednesday, so we weren’t prepared … Today, we were more mentally and physically prepared.” Despite their setback, they still managed to come together as a team, beating Alameda’s Boys Varsity and Boys and Girls Junior Varsity teams.

The Boys Varsity team performed exceptionally well against the Huskies, ending with a score of 104-70. Boys Varsity Swimmer Sophomore Ryan Wong improved by five seconds in the 200-meter Individual Medley with a time of 2:15, coming very close to beating his opponents. Unfortunately, the winning streak did not carry over onto the Girls Varsity team, who lost, 77-97. Despite their defeat, the team had members step up and earn them much-needed points; Girls Varsity Swimmer Sophomore Kailyn Yu won both of her events, 100-meter backstroke and 200-meter Individual Medley, completing her last laps just seconds ahead of the Huskies. Varsity Swim Coach Melissa Kaeo said, “The girls usually do well, but Washington is a hard opponent. They’ve won the past two years, so the result was expected.”

Both Junior Varsity teams swam well, beating out their opponents 124-45 on the Boys side and 118-50 on the Girls. Boys Junior Varsity Swimmer Sophomore Alexander Crocker stood out, in particular, for his 1:04 minute time in the 100-meter backstroke event. “Crocker is very dependable. There’s some swimmers you know are going to win in their events and he’s one of them,” said Junior Varsity Coach Juan Madrigal. Madrigal also commended Girls Junior Varsity Swimmer Sophomore Sarah Wang, who closed the gap on her team’s 400-meter Freestyle Relay, leading them to win the event.

Having won the meet by 161 points overall, the Warriors hope the success carries through to the remainder of their season. Due to the absence of their seniors from last year, the team is still working on filling gaps in their lineup and placing swimmers into the right events where they will perform best. In terms of their goals for the current season, Boys Varsity Swim Captain Senior Brian Liu said, “For Boys Varsity, we want to maintain our winning streak. For the Girls, it is to regain their (MVAL championship) title after losing last year. I believe this year is the year to come back.”