Burlingame, Westmoor make waves

Saturday, a new girls’ champion emerged and one that has the potential to stay on top for a while. The Burlingame girls’ team utilized its depth and talent in virtually every race to claim its first Bay Division team championship. The Panthers started off strong, saw Aragon and Menlo School pull ahead in the middle of the meet but finished strong down the stretch.

The Panthers held a three-point lead over Aragon and led by 10 over Menlo going into the 400 free relay — the last race of the day. The Panthers needed to finish first or second to assure themselves of the championship. Despite having the second-fastest qualifying time, the Panthers’ foursome of Olivia Plume, Megan Thomas, Audrey Pratt and Victoria Pratt smoked the field, finishing in a time of 3:45.46, nearly 10 seconds better than their qualifying time and eight seconds faster than second-place Menlo School.

"We’re a force to be reckoned with and we‘re getting better and better,” said Burlingame coach Christopher Culp. "We had great year last year and came in this year wanting to do as well or better.”

The boys’ team title went to Menlo School again, but the Burlingame boys finished comfortably in second place — their highest finish in years.

"We’re not a varsity boys’ team and a varsity girls’ team,” Culp said. "We’re a varsity team.”

In addition to the win in the 400 free relay, the Burlingame girls’ took the title in the 200 medley relay and got individual titles from Thomas (200 free), Audrey Pratt (100 back) and Victoria Pratt (100 breast). The race that propelled Burlingame to the title, Culp said, was Thomas’ upset victory over Bethany Kwoka in the 200 free. Kwoka, of San Mateo, was the top qualifier going into the finals. In the finals, Thomas shaved nearly five seconds off her preliminary time to post a time of 1:57.98 and take the title.

"In club swimming, I’ve never broken two minutes,” Thomas, a sophomore, said. "I still can’t believe it. I didn’t expect to win.”

Said Culp: "[Thomas’] race really got everyone going. She was real nervous to begin with but I told her to just go race. I told her, ‘You are due.’”

In other girls’ action, Aragon junior Emily Chen continued her mastery of the sprints, winning the 50 and 100 free races. Her time of 24.01 broke a 20-year-old league record. Mary Edwards swam a 24.52 in 1987. On the boys’ side, the only two-time winner was Menlo’s Derrick Chen, who duplicated Chen’s sprints double.

The Burlingame team was not the only squad to open eyes. Westmoor, in its first season in the Bay Division, was more than respectable. The boys’ team finished in fourth behind powerhouses Menlo School, Burlingame and Menlo-Atherton. The girls’ team score was only good for seventh out of eight teams but the Lady Rams had more than their fair share of success.

"I’m very happy,” said Westmoor coach A.J. Vergara. "In the Ocean (Division), we dominated the last two years. We we’re right about .500 (in league dual meets this season).”

The Daly City Dolphins club had a huge hand in sending a bunch of good swimmers to Westmoor. It’s not coincidence that Vergara is a coach for the D.C.D. He said that the continuity between the club team and the high school team had benefited both programs.

The Rams needed to find swimming success because, as Vergara said, "When I took over (at Westmoor five years ago) they wanted to cut the program.”

Now, the Rams have a number of CCS qualifiers. The boys’ 200 medley relay and 200 free relay are in, as are Terence Leung (50 and 100 free), Wilbert Tirtadinata (100 fly) and Brandon Lee (100 breast).

Leung was involved in the best race of the day in the 50 free when both he and Menlo’s Chen touched the wall at the exact time, 22.62. Leading qualifier, Menlo’s Matt Hale, was third at 22.69.

"I was worried about Matt Hale,” Leung said. "I didn’t see Derrick coming. I just wanted to improve my time.”

The Westmoor girls’ qualified the 200 medley relay and 200 free relay for CCS while Gracie Tarka, a sophomore, qualified as an individual in the 200 IM and 100 fly.

Tarka was involved in some of the best girls’ races of the day. In the 200 IM, Tarka battled Menlo School’s Haley Read stroke for stroke but came up just short at the end. Read finished with a time of 2:08.94 to Tarka’s 2:09.10. In the 100 fly, Tarka was neck-and-neck with Burlingame’s Plume, but got her at the wall, 58.30 to 58.52.

"It was really good. I was really happy (with my 100 fly),” Tarka said. "I knew she (Plume) was right there. I didn’t want to get touched out. I just got touched out in the 200 IM.”