CARMICHAEL, Calif. — Juniors Ava Chavez and Maddy Ching each won individual championships, freshman Erica Jaffe posted a pair of runner-up finishes, three total school records fell and all three relay squads placed second to help St. Francis varsity compile a second-place team score of 566 points at the Delta League swimming championships at a drizzly Jesuit Aquatic Center Thursday afternoon.
Additionally, Chavez won the 200-yard freestyle with a school-record time of one minute, 50.07 seconds to beat out Davis Ava Portello (1:50.25), breaking the old standard of 1:52.53, set by Annclaire Macart back in 2014. Chavez also added a second-place finish in the 500 free at 4:56.74, making her the first Troubie to swim that event in under five minutes this year. In fact, her time is the fastest by any SFHS swimmer since Chloe Mitchell's 4:56.05 at the 2015 section meet. Both of Chavez' 200 and 500 times surpass the 'A' standard for the CIF state championships, although marks may only be set at a section championship to officially qualify.
Chavez, Ching and Jaffe also took part in two record-breaking freestyle relays. The 200-yard foursome, which also featured LK Holliday at the anchor, went 1:36.15 to rewrite another St. Francis program standard. The old mark of 1:37.54, set by Antoinette Ranit, Alex Reiger, Jessica Poelman and Cora Stebbins, had stood since 2010. The 400-yard freestyle relay, which had Grace Mering completing the group, clocked a 3:29.08. This broke the old Troubie benchmark of 3:29.92, also set in 2010 by Sydney Johansen, Natalie Green, Carissa Metcalf and Annclaire Macart.
Ching's 24.27 edged Davis' Madison Walker (24.43) for the 50 free crown. Jaffe went 2:05.13 in the 200 individual medley and 55:83 in the 100 backstroke to place second in each. Jaffe's backstroke time also would qualify her to the state meet if it was achieved at the Sac-Joaquin Sections.
The 100 backstroke had the highest contribution to the team scoring, with Jaffe's second and Mering's third (55.83) accounting for 33 points on their own. The crew of Makenna Frederiksen (1:07.76), Marissa Recio (1:09.53), Mia Hill (1:10.35) and Rachael Madden (1:11.81) represented a 4-5-7-8 finish for Troubies for 52 total points in the 100 breaststroke. Ching's win in the 50 free also had some support from Holliday in fifth (25.43) and Jordyn Larson in sixth (25.48) for a 47-point boost.
St. Francis also enjoyed 45 points from its divers, who competed in the one-meter board on Wednesday in Rio Linda. Sophomore Sinclair Yadao (476.60) on that championship and 20 points, while Paige Vicente (sixth, 319.85) and Maya Hamilton (seventh, 274.60) scored additional team points.
Mering, Hill, Larson and Holliday led off the day with a 1:50.25 in the 200 medley relay for second place.
St. Francis, in its first year under interim head coach Brian Nabeta, began its two-week spring break on Monday, and competed in the Delta League meet with several of its swimmers out for that hiatus. A small crew of Troubies will compete in Southern California at Santa Margarita's Central Catholic Challenge on April 23, then the team will gear up for the Sac-Joaquin Section championships on May 5 and 7.
2022 DELTA LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIPS
Jesuit Aquatic Center (Carmichael, Calif.)
Girls results only • Winners plus SFHS finishers listed
TEAM SCORING - 1. Davis, 590; 2. St. Francis, 511; 3. Pleasant Grove, 254; 4. Franklin, 190; 5. Cosumnes Oaks, 164; 6. Sheldon, 87; 7. Elk Grove, 1.
200 MEDLEY RELAY - 1. Davis (Dequine, Leacox, Meraz, Walker), 1:44.50… 2. St. Francis (Mering, Hill, Larson, Holliday), 1:50.25.
200 FREESTYLE - 1. Ava Chavez, St. Francis, 1:50.07… 6. Greta Laborde Lagrave, 2:00.75; 7. Megan Gawlick, 2:00.76; 8. Teaghan Brostrom, 2:05.28.
200 INDIVIDUAL MEDLEY - 1. Audrey Portello, Davis, 2:01.64… 2. Erica Jaffe, 2:05.13; 6. Grace Mering, 2:09.59; 7. Marissa Recio, 2:15.48.
50 FREESTYLE - 1. Maddy Ching, St. Francis, 24.27… 5. LK Holliday, 25.43; 6. Jordyn Larson, 25.48; 8. Bianca Ignacio, 25.75.
100 BUTTERFLY - 1. Sanne Dequine, Davis, 54.70… 3. Maddy Ching, 55.86; 5. Jordyn Larson, 59.12; 6. Makenna Frederiksen, 1:00.27; 8. Kelly Wilson, 1:02.48.
100 FREESTYLE - 1. Sarah Bennetts, Davis, 50.15… 6. LK Holliday, 55.77; 8. Ava Stimson, 57.53; 11. Sara Jones, 1:00.59.
500 FREESTYLE - 1. Audrey Portello, Davis, 4:53.06… 2. Ava Chavez, 4:56.74; 5. Megan Gawlick, 5:23.96; 6. Kelly Wilson, 5:28.60; 8. Teaghan Brostrom, 5:32.31.
200 FREE RELAY - 1. Davis (Bennetts, Walker, Leacox, Meraz), 1:35.48… 2. St. Francis (Jaffe, M. Ching, Chavez, Holliday), 1:36.15.
100 BACKSTROKE - 1. Sanne Dequine, Davis, 55.72… 2. Erica Jaffe, 55.83; 3. Grace Mering, 57.81; 7. Bianca Ignacio, 1:00.78; 9. Greta Laborde Lagrave, 1:01.85.
100 BREASTSTROKE - 1. Sarah Bennetts, Davis, 1:02.18… 4. Makenna Frederiksen, 1:07.76; 5. Marissa Recio, 1:09.53; 7. Mia Hill, 1:10.35; 8. Rachael Madden, 1:11.81.
400 FREE RELAY - 1. Davis (Bennetts, Av. Portello, Au. Portello, Dequine), 3:26.12… 2. St. Francis (Jaffe, M. Ching, Mering, Chavez), 3:29.08.
1-METER DIVING - 1. Yadao Sinclair, St. Francis, 476.60… 6. Paige Vicente, 319.85; 7. Maya Hamilton, 274.60; 8. Caroline Laborde Lagrave, 226.40. (Contested on Wednesday at Capital Divers.)
Team scores updated at 10 p.m.
