Seahawks swim well at hometown meet Seahawks swim well at hometown meet (December 17, 2004)

EBAL soccer opens this week
by Heidi Massie

When the parking on Santa Rita Road along the Amador Valley Community Park is full and tents cover the grass in front of the Aquatic Center, you can bet there is a swim meet taking place. That was the scene last weekend when the Pleasanton Seahawks hosted its annual meet known as the Snowball Splash since it usually rains each year. This year sunshine kept the swimmers warm. The meet, which is a USA-Pacific-sanctioned meet, had 875 swimmers compete during the two-day event. Many Seahawk swimmers swam well in all age groups.

Jack Geasa of the Under 8 boys team placed third in the 50-meter backstroke event, and teammate Jacob Wooldrige placed in all six of his events. Annalise Swenson placed second in the 25-meter freestyle for the Under 8 girls. In the 9-10-year-old boys and girls teams, Alan Gua placed first in the 50 backstroke and Katherine Clark took third in the 100 individual medley.

The 11-12-year-old boys team had several swimmers place in many events. Chris Clark placed second in the 200 freestyle, Matt Jacobe placed second in the 200 individual medley, and Richard Lind finished third in the 400 individual medley. Bradley Nelson placed first in both the 50 butterfly and 200 butterfly event. The 11-12 girls turned in good times with Catherine Breed finishing second in the 200 butterfly and Kirsten Easley taking first in the 50 backstroke. David Chen of the 13-14 boys team took first in the 50 freestyle and Mike Moruza took first in the 100 breaststroke. Melissa Bonnel placed second in the 500 freestyle, and Gabriella Gomez took first in the 200 freestyle for the 13-14-year-old girls team.

"The swimmers put in many hours of practice," said Gail Gomez, Seahawks publicity representative and parent volunteer. "The parents put in a tremendous amount of time preparing for these meets as well." The Seahawks, a nonprofit organization, hosts several meets a year to raise money for the team in addition to other fundraising activities.

The Pleasanton Seahawks began competing in 1983 and has continued to develop top swimmers each year. The club is a USS year-round competitive swim team that offers high quality professional coaching and technique instruction for all ages and abilities. For the third year in a row, the Seahawks Swim Club was recognized by the USA Swimming Club Excellence Program and selected to the 2004 Silver Medal Club ranking among the best 50 clubs in the nation.

For more information about the Pleasanton Seahawks, visit the club's Web site at www.pleasantonseahawks.org
Girls Soccer

The East Bay Athletic League soccer season opened this week with the girls teams on Tuesday, promising a season of tough competition. Four of the league's teams, including Foothill and Amador, have been ranked among the top 12 in the nation.

The North Coast Section defending champion Foothill got a dose of the league's toughness in losing to California, 3-1, in its opening game. The Falcons scored first with a shot by Jillian Sweetnam early in the game and kept California off the board in the first half. But California came back strong in the second, keeping Foothill out of the net. Goalie Amanda Lopez had seven saves for the Falcons.

Amador won its opener against Granada, 5-1. Laura Adams scored three goals in the first half, the first unassisted and two with assists from Jen Mello and Cassidy Fitzpatrick. Adams scored a fourth in the second half and Fitzpatrick scored the final goal of the game. Amador's record improved to 6-2 overall, 1-0 EBAL.
Schedule
Friday Girls Basketball Foothill vs. College Park; 7 p.m.
Boys Basketball Amador vs. Mt. Eden; 7 p.m.
Boys Wrestling Amador at Lou Bronzan Invitational; Liberty High; all day
Boys Soccer Foothill vs. Livermore; 4 p.m. Amador vs. Monte Vista; 4 p.m.
Saturday Girls Wrestling Amador at Castro Valley Classic; all day
Boys Wrestling Amador at Lou Bronzan Invitational; Liberty High; all day
Boys Basketball Amador at Rancho Cotate; 6:30 p.m. Foothill at Dublin; 7 p.m.
Monday Girls Basketball - through Wed. Amador at Phoenix Tournament, Phoenix, AZ, TBA
Boys Wrestling Foothill at Reno Tournament; Reno, NV; All day
Boys Soccer Amador vs. Las Lomas; 5:30 p.m.
Tuesday Boys Basketball Amador at Northgate; 7 p.m. Foothill at Tennyson; 7 p.m.
Boys Soccer Amador vs. James Logan; 5:30 p.m.
Wednesday Boys Soccer Amador vs. Clayton Valley; 5:30 p.m.
Thursday Boys Basketball Foothill at Mt. Eden; 7 p.m.

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