Melanie Schull returned to her alma mater, Foothill High School, in 2006 to lead both the Falcon boy and girl swimmers to an undefeated dual meet season. Coach Schull and Assistant Swimming Coach Sherrie Gilliam led the swimmers to a share of the spring league titles.
The girls’ swim season was highlighted by an April win over Monte Vista High School. That meet provided several swimmers an opportunity to shine, perhaps none more than Terri Udinskki, who had a huge swim in the 500-meter freestyle.
While the girls’ team is not made up of superstars, Captain Jen Narum leads the team. Narum won both the 200-meter and 500-meter freestyle races at the recent EBAL meet. In addition to those performances, Narum, a senior at Foothill, has already qualified for the Olympic trials in distance swimming events that are not part of the high school season.
Narum’s younger sister Lisa, a sophomore, is a talented swimmer in her own right. Lisa Narum, Krystal Lau, Neda Nguyen and Amanda Schmitz all qualified for the 200-meter individual medley at this week’s Northern California Sections.
The boys also went undefeated with their toughest test coming against San Ramon Valley High School during their first meet. Although the end result at the EBAL meet was not what the boys wanted, many swimmers posted personal best times. In individual events, Behan Salamti was a winner in the 100-meter butterfly, Kyle Kozloski finished second in the 100-meter freestyle and Dan Romine finished third in the 100-meter backstroke. Several relay teams also performed well with Patrick Darrow, Slamati, Matthew Kwan and Kozloski finishing second in the 400-meter freestyle relay and Joseph Kim, Kozloski, Darrow and Michael Pestana finishing third in the 200-meter freestyle relay.
Big things are possible at the NCS meet as Salamati will be swimming in the butterfly and individual medley, and Kozloski will swim in the 100-meter freestyle and the 100-meter breaststroke.
NCS Swimming Schedule
Heather Farms in Walnut CreekTime Trials ñ 10:30 a.m., Friday May 19
Finals and medal ceremonies ñ 10:30 a.m., Saturday May 20
Divers best in League
Peregrine Falcons are perhaps the fastest animals on earth. In a stoop, or dive, they have been clocked at speeds of over 180 mph and are believed to be able to reach up to 200 mph. While the Foothill Falcon divers do not likely reach those speeds, their diving skill makes it a certainty that they are the best divers in their league.Diving Coach Monte Young led the Falcon divers, boys and girls, to an undefeated season. While the girls’ diving team does not have any seniors, Rebecca Payne, only a junior who has won at the EBAL two years in a row, leads the squad. The boys’ team also has great depth and has only two seniors, Weslee Janisen and Jason Plummer.
Amador golfers finish strong post-season
The Amador Valley golfers finished a strong post-season run by finishing sixth at the NCS tournament in Fortuna. Senior Mike Ortega capped off his 4-year varsity career with a four over 76. Ortega, captain of the team, carried an infectious positive attitude and led by example by having great practice habits, a team-first approach and a strong character. He leaves a legacy of success athletically and personally that will live with the golf program beyond his time at the school.Freshman Jonny Baxter shot an even par 72 to take fourth place overall at the NCS and will play in the Northern California Championships next Monday at Mira Vista C.C.
Amador Valley Lacrosse Men receive All EBAL honors
In a vote of the coaches in the EBAL, the Amador Valley Boys’ Lacrosse Team is represented by a total of seven players on the three all-EBAL teams.Defenseman Andy Hatch made first team EBAL with Johnny Parson and Tim Riddle making second team all-EBAL. Tyler Creighton, Devin Satterthwaite, Jeff Leete, and Shane Manley made Honorable Mention.
