JV places second, varsity well-repped in finals at Delta League championships

Posted: Apr 13, 2022

CARMICHAEL, Calif. – Gabriella Ching won the 100-yard breaststroke with a time of one minute, 10.76 seconds while Troubies placed third in all three junior varsity relays to highlight St. Francis at Wednesday's portion of the Delta League swimming championships at Jesuit Aquatic Center.

Wednesday's session featured the junior varsity finals and the varsity prelims to Thursdays finals. The meet moved to Jesuit High School on short notice, as power issues at American River College rendered the latter facility unusable for a meet.

The St. Francis JV placed second with 348 points***, well behind winner Davis (526) but also strongly in front of third-place Pleasant Grove (225). Sheldon (155) and Elk Grove (52) rounded out the five-team JV field.

Ching was the lone St. Francis junior varsity champion. She held off a quintet of Davis swimmers who swept second through sixth.

The Troubadour jayvees enjoyed their biggest scoring punch near the end of the meet with Sarah Becker placing a close second (1:03.49) behind Davis' Leila Meraz (1:03.20) in the 100-yard backstroke. Alexis DeAngelis (1:09.05) took fourth and Camille Olsen (1:09.57) placed fifth. That amounted to 46 team points, compared to the Blue Devils' 33 in the same event.

Emmy Asperger and Becker finished second and third, respectively, in the JV 50-yard freestyle with times of 25.74 and 26.04, providing a 33-point bump in the third event of the day. Asperger also finished third in the 100 free to break up a superfecta of Davis swimmers. She swam 58.21 for a two-tenth improvement on her entering mark.

Abigail Benavidez and Sydney Glenn placed third and fourth, respectively, in the 500 free to grab 31 total team points. Benavidez went 6:21.70, while Glenn's 6:39.76 kept her ahead of Davis' Mirabelle Knowles for the extra tick in the standings.

The Troubies fielded DeAngelis, Maddy Ching, Becker and Glenn in their runner-up 200 medley relay, which compiled a 2:04.11. St. Francis' 200 free relay foursome of Olsen, Asperger, DeAngelis and Piper Brostrom assembled a 1:49.86, good for second in the meet behind Davis' 1:47.77. Then to close out the meet, the Asperger/Becker/Olsen/Ching squad placed second in the 400 free relay for another 34 points.

Meanwhile, on the varsity side, St. Francis advanced at least three swimmers to Thursday's championship final in seven events. Junior Ava Chavez and freshman Erica Jaffe had the fastest prelim times in four events: Chavez in the 200 free (1:54.61) and 500 free (5:03.92), Jaffe in the 100 back (57.91) and 200 individual medley (2:07.67). Jaffe's time in the IM bested Davis' Audrey Portello by a mere .05.

Five Troubies advanced in the 100 fly, with Maddy Ching posting a first-place 56.14. Jordyn Larson (1:00.40), Makenna Frederiksen (1:00.98); Kelly Wilson (1:02.35) and Rachel Thilow (1:03.72) took fifth through eighth in the prelim heats to move on.

Four SF swimmers moved on to the 200 IM finals, with Jaffe leading the way with her 2:07.67. Grace Mering placed fifth (2:12.04), Marissa Recio was seventh (2:16.48) and Rachael Madden touched in eighth (2:19.46), meaning Thursday's championship swim will have four St. Francis and four Davis competitors.

Later in the meet, Jaffe led a St. Francis trio to second swims in Thursday's final, as Grace Mering finished fourth at 59.84 and Bianca Ignacio was eighth with a 1:01.95 time.

Four St. Francis swimmers will compete in the 50 free final, as Maddy Ching placed second at 24.86, followed by LK Holliday in fifth (25.75) and Bianca Ignacio in sixth (25.96). Jordyn Larson tied for seventh with Franklin's Tania Brooks at 26.00. Holliday was also the lone Troubie to move on to the 100 free final, as her 56.36 puts her sixth in a heat with three Davis, two Pleasant Grove and two Franklin opponents on Thursday.

Three Troubies moved to Thursday's 200 free final: Chavez beat out Davis' Ava Portello for the top spot at 1:54.61, with Megan Gawlick in third at 2:00.55, while Greta Laborde Lagrave (2:01.88) and Teaghan Brostrom (2:04.44) placed fifth and eighth in the prelims. Chavez later out-swam the 500 free field with a 5:03.92, with Gawlick in fifth (5:20.14), Wilson in sixth (5:27.44) and Brostrom in seventh (5:30.44), making another all-St. Francis and Davis final on Thursday.

St. Francis put four into Thursday's 100 breaststroke championship final, with Frederiksen (1:11.01), Recio (1:12.78), Mia Hill (1:12.83) and Madden (1:14.07) earning second swims.

The Troubies also sent four swimmers to a total of seven consolation finals on Thursday: Sara Jones (100 free, 200 free), Ava Stimson (50 free, 100 free), Hill (200 IM), Thilow (50 free) and Laborde Lagrave (100 back)

St. Francis last won a Delta League championship in 2015. Competition will begin at 2 p.m. on Thursday.

***UPDATE 8 p.m.: St. Francis picked up 37 more points, as Troubie freshmen Vanya Dubey and Julia Labriola were the only two competitors in the junior varsity one-meter diving competition at Capital Divers. Coverage of this will be available separately at GoTroubies.com.

2022 DELTA LEAGUE SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS
Jesuit Aquatic Center (Carmichael, Calif.)
Girls results only • Winners/leaders plus SFHS finishers listed

Note: JV events were finals, varsity events were prelims for Thursday's finals. The diving portion was contested separately at Capital Divers in Rio Linda.

200 MEDLEY RELAY JV - 1. Davis (Meraz, Kam, Cutler, Paquette), 1:55.35… 2. St. Francis (DeAngelis, G. Ching, Becker, Glenn), 2:04.11.

200 FREESTYLE JV - 1. Monica Garibay, Davis, 2:03.74… 3. Abigail Benavidez, 2:21.39; 7. Lydia Vlahos, 2:35.19.

200 FREESTYLE VARSITY - 1. Ava Chavez, SF, 1:54.61… 3. Megan Gawlick, 2:00.55; 4. Greta Laborde Lagrave, 2:01.88; 8. Teaghan Brostrom, 2:04.44; 10. Sara Jones, 2:11.23.

200 INDIVIDUAL MEDLEY JV - 1. Grace Hadani, Davis, 2:14.08… 4. Alexis DeAngelis, 2:31.02; 6. Piper Brostrom, 2:37.28.

200 INDIVIDUAL MEDLEY VARSITY - 1. Erica Jaffe, St. Francis, 2:07.67… 5. Grace Mering, 2:12.04; 7. Marissa Recio, 2:16.48; 8. Rachael Madden, 2:19.46; 10. Mia Hill, 2:20.08.

50 FREESTYLE JV - 1. Bailey Paquette, Davis, 25.74… 2. Emmy Asperger, 26.04; 3. Sarah Becker, 27.03; Sydney Glenn, DQ.

50 FREESTYLE VARSITY - 1. Madison Walker, Davis, 24.83… 2. Maddy Ching, 24.86; 5. LK Holliday, 25.75; 6. Bianca Ignacio, 25.96; t7. Jordyn Larson, 26.00; 10. Ava Stimson, 26.93; 12. Rachel Thilow, 27.17.

100 BUTTERFLY JV - 1. Kyla Cutler, Davis, 1:01.64… 4. Gabriella Ching, 1:05.94; 5. Camille Olsen, 1:09.46; 7. Lydia Vlahos, 1:22.03.

100 BUTTERFLY VARSITY - 1. Maddy Ching, St. Francis, 56.14… 5. Jordyn Larson, 1:00.40; 6. Makenna Frederiksen, 1:00.98; 7. Kelly Wilson, 1:02.35; 8. Rachel Thilow, 1:03.72.

100 FREESTYLE JV - 1. Bailey Paquette, Davis, 56.47… 3. Emmy Asperger, 58.21.

100 FREESTYLE VARSITY - 1. Sarah Bennetts, Davis, 53.40… 6. LK Holliday, 56.36; 9. Ava Stimson, 58.49; 11. Sara Jones, 1:00.42.

500 FREESTYLE JV - 1. Grace Hadani, Davis, 5:24.88… 3. Abigail Benavidez, 6:21.70; 4. Sydney Glenn, 6:39.76.

500 FREESTYLE VARSITY - 1. Ava Chavez, St. Francis, 5:03.92… 5. Megan Gawlick, 5:20.14; 6. Kelly Wilson, 5:27.44; 7. Teaghan Brostrom, 5:30.44.

200 FREE RELAY JV - 1. Davis (Garibay, Shinstock, Kam, Meraz), 1:47.77… 2. St. Francis (Olsen, Asperger, DeAngelis, P. Brostrom), 1:49.86.

100 BACKSTROKE JV - 1. Leila Meraz, Davis, 1:03.20… 2. Sarah Becker, 1:03.49; 4. Alexis DeAngelis, 1:09.05; 5. Camille Olsen, 1:09.57; 8. Piper Brostrom, 1:12.98.

100 BACKSTROKE VARSITY - 1. Erica Jaffe, St. Francis, 57.91… 4. Grace Mering, 59.84; 8. Bianca Ignacio, 1:01.95; 9. Greta Laborde Lagrave, 1:02.50.

100 BREASTSTROKE JV - 1. Gabriella Ching, St. Francis, 1:10.76.

100 BREASTSTROKE VARSITY - 1. Sarah Bennetts, Davis, 1:04.71… 4. Makenna Frederiksen, 1:11.01; 5. Marissa Recio, 1:12.78; 6. Mia Hill, 1:12.83; 8. Rachael Madden, 1:14.07.

400 FREE RELAY - 1. Davis (Chrysler, Garibay, Paquette, Hadani), 3:48.94… 2. St. Francis (Asperger, Becker, Olsen, M. Ching), 4:02.43.