ELK GROVE, Calif. – Senior Grace Mering led off a first-place 200-yard medley relay, qualified for championship finals in each of the 200 individual medley and 100 backstroke events, then helped the 400 freestyle relay snare the fourth seed in the final, leading St. Francis varsity swimmers on the first day of the Sac-Joaquin Section Swimming & Diving Championships, held at Elk Grove Aquatic Center Wednesday.
All Day 1 events were trials, with the top eight advancing to the championship finals and the next eight moving on the consolation finals. The meet resumes on Friday with both girls' and boys' events combined into a single session. The Troubadours look to defend their 2023 Division II title, and entered the swimming portion with 31 team points already locked up due to the success of the SF divers at St. Mary's one week earlier.
Mering joined junior Mia Hill, junior Erica Jaffe and freshman Lilla Kapinya for a 1:46.07 in the medley relay to lead off the day. The San Diego State commit then led the field in the 200 IM at 2:06.21, edging Del Oro's Melanie Quinto by just .09. Later in the meet, Jaffe and Mering formed a 1-2 punch at the top of the 100 back leaderboard at 56.98 and 57.24, respectively. Finally, the foursome of Jaffe, Isabelle Schmid, Mering and Hill went 3:34.78 to finish fourth in the 400 free relay prelim.
St. Francis also advanced the 200 free relay into Friday's championship heat, with Kapinya, Schmid, Ashlyn Brock and Marissa Recio compiling a 1:40.67, also fourth among the prelims.
The Jaffe-Mering exacta in the 100 back led four Troubies who earned second swims: Schmid dropped 0.74 from her seed time to post a 58.81, good for fifth. Even more impressively, junior Lexie DeAngelis lopped 1.75 seconds from her previous best to go 1:00.98. This puts her in the consolation final and gives SF a fourth scorer toward the team title.
St. Francis also have four scorers, barring a disqualification, in the 200 IM. Besides Mering's win in the trials, Hill grabbed the eighth and final spot in the championship with her 2:10.21. Meanwhile, Recio and freshman Landen Didriksen earned spots in the consols thanks to their 10th (2:10.53) and 14t (2:15.89) places on Wednesday.
Between championships and consols, the Troubies can also expect multiple scoring in the 100 free, thanks to Jaffe and Kapinya respectively placing second and 10th. Recio and Megan Gawlick gives SF two in the consolation final in the 500 free by virtue of their 10th and 15th places in Wednesday's trials. Finally, the 100 breast consolation will have three Troubies across: Hill, Didriksen and Makenna Frederiksen were ninth, 14th and 15th.
Only varsity races contribute toward the team scoring and title chase, but the section meet features a frosh-soph competition for each race. Freshman Mikayla Magri had the Troubies' top JV finish with her fourth in the 100 breaststroke. All three SF frosh-soph relays earned Friday swims: 200 medley (sixth), 200 free (seventh) and 400 free (ninth).
Friday's session begins with the frosh-soph 200 medley relay at 10 a.m. St. Francis looks for a seventh all-time section banner, along with 1995, 1997, 1998, 2010, 2011 and 2023.
2024 SAC-JOAQUIN SECTION SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIP TRIALS
Elk Grove Aquatics Center (Elk Grove, Calif.)
Girls events only • Winners plus SF finishers listed • All events are trials
GIRLS' 200 MEDLEY RELAY FROSH/SOPH - 1. Christian Brothers (Esperas, Foth, Reyes, Lukins), 1:52.58... 6. St. Francis (Bonnici, Magri, Pometta, Shah), 1:58.60.
GIRLS' 200 MEDLEY RELAY VARSITY - 1. St. Francis (Mering, Hill, Jaffe, Kapinya), 1:46.07.
GIRLS' 200 FREESTYLE FROSH/SOPH - 1. Dylan Tiska, Rio Americano, 1:58.09... 34. Juliet Shah, 2:17.85.
GIRLS' 200 FREESTYLE VARSITY - 1. Ava Portello, Davis, 1:49.70... 13. Isabella Schmid, 1:57.35; 17. Megan Gawlick, 1:59.25.
GIRLS' 200 INDIVIDUAL MEDLEY FROSH/SOPH - 1. Illiana Foth, Christian Brothers, 2:09.84... 17. Mikayla Magri, 2:25.42; 37. Savannah Hamilton, 2:34.72.
GIRLS' 200 INDIVIDUAL MEDLEY VARSITY - 1. Grace Mering, St. Francis, 2:06.21... 8. Mia Hill, 2:10.21; 10. Marissa Recio, 2:10.53; 14. Landen Didriksen, 2:15.89.
GIRLS' 50 FREESTYLE FROSH/SOPH - 1. Mac Wheeler, Lincoln (Stockton), 25.08... 14. Gabriella McHugh, 26.65.
GIRLS' 50 FREESTYLE VARSITY - 1. Jojo Brant, Pioneer, 23.51... 3. Lilla Kapinya, 24.37; 26. Ashlyn Brock, 25.86.
GIRLS' 100 BUTTERFLY FROSH/SOPH - 1. Jessynta Taylor, Bear River, 59.16.
GIRLS' 100 BUTTERFLY VARSITY - 1. Jada Duncan, Whitney, 55.06... 19. Makenna Frederiksen, 1:00.79.
GIRLS' 100 FREESTYLE FROSH/SOPH - 1. Camryn Jackson, Rocklin, 53.86... 19. Gabriella McHugh, 58.64.
GIRLS ' 100 FREESTYLE VARSITY - 1. Kaydence Bispo, St. Mary's, 51.01... 2. Erica Jaffe, 51.51; 10. Lilla Kapinya, 53.93; 23. Ashlyn Brock, 56.04
GIRLS' 500 FREESTYLE FROSH/SOPH - 1. Sarah Pflueger, Rocklin, 5:11.30.
GIRLS' 500 FREESTYLE VARSITY - 1. Ava Portello, Davis, 4:56.12... 10. Marissa Recio, 5:12.27; 15. Megan Gawlick, 5:19.40.
GIRLS' 200 FREE RELAY FROSH/SOPH - 1. Christian Brothers (Foth, Lukins, Reyes, Esperas), 1:41.72... 7. St. Francis (McHugh, Shah, Hamilton, Pometta), 1:47.59.
GIRLS' 200 FREE RELAY VARSITY - 1. Davis (Menna, Mann, Ackerman, Portello), 1:36.22... 4. St. Francis (Kapinya, Schmid, Brock, Recio), 1:40.67.
GIRLS' 100 BACKSTROKE FROSH/SOPH - 1. Jessynta Taylor, Bear River, 58.96... 28. Milena Bonnici, 1:09.14.
GIRLS' 100 BACKSTROKE VARSITY - 1. Erica Jaffe, St. Francis, 56.98... 2. Grace Mering, 57.24; 5. Isabelle Schmid, 58.81; 13. Lexie DeAngelis, 1:00.98.
GIRLS' 100 BREASTROKE FROSH/SOPH - 1. Illiana Foth, Christian Brothers, 1:06.48... 4. Mikayla Magri, 1:10.05; 24. Rose Haag, 1:16.45; 29. Milena Bonnici, 1:19.02.
GIRLS' 100 BREASTSTROKE VARSITY - 1. Rebecca Welch, Lodi, 1:03.57... 9. Mia Hill, 1:07.42; 14. Landen Didriksen, 1:09.10; 15. Makenna Frederiksen, 1:09.34; 19. Ella Ching, 1:10.37.
GIRLS' 400 FREE RELAY FROSH/SOPH - 1. Rio Americano (Roseberry, Schaedler, Somers, Tiska), 3:41.94... 9. St. Francis (McHugh, Shah, Hamilton, Pometta), 4:00.79.
GIRLS' 400 FREE RELAY VARSITY - 1. Del Oro (Young, Landers, Eyrich, Quinto), 3:32.35... 4. St. Francis (Jaffe, Schmid, Mering, Hill), 3:34.78.
