Aragon boys triumph at PAL Bay swim meet; first time since 1994

Aragon’s boys celebrated the victory in appropriate fashion, jumping into the pool after the official post-meet announcement. And, of course, the Dons pushed their coach, who was fully clothed, into the deep end to join in the festivities.

“They jumped in the pool,” Barthold said. “Everybody jumped in the pool, and I didn’t really think about that. So, I got pretty cold on the way home because I didn’t have a change of clothes.”

The Dons took home the title with 483 total points, topping second-place Carlmont (426.5). The Carlmont girls won the PAL girls’ championship for the fourth straight season, totaling 456 points to down second-place Menlo-Atherton (411).

Aragon senior Seth Smith earned four first-place finishes. In his individual races, he took first in the boys’ 200 freestyle in 1 minute, 45.24 seconds. He followed that with a win in the 100 butterfly in 52.93 seconds.

“He swims about everything,” Barthold said. “But those are the [races] that he concentrates on.”

Smith also topped the podium in two relays, teaming with Gabriel Anagnoson, Colin Johnson and Ryan Vattuone in the 200 medley relay for a time of 1:36.00. Smith, Anagnoson, Vattuone and Sherman Lee closed the day with a dominant victory in the 400 free relay in 3:18.09.

Before Smith even hit the water as the first leg of the 400 free relay finale, Aragon had clinched the boys’ championship.

“Even if they hadn’t placed, they still would have won,” Barthold said. “But they still really wanted to win it.”

Anagnoson and Vattuone each earned three individual championships. Anagnoson, in addition to the two relay wins, took first place in the 200 individual medley in 1:54.88. Vattuone earned the 50 free crown, hitting the wall in 21.83.

Barthold marveled at the strides made by Vattuone this season.

“He dropped his time significantly this year,” said Barthold, who noted most 50 free swimmers aim to cut their times by tenths of a second over the course of a single season. “His was more over a second. That’s huge.”

Johnson also took first place in the 100 back. He was the only swimmer in the field to break the one-minute barrier, winning it in 58.78 seconds.

As Barthold wiped the water from his eyes and looked around the post-meet celebration, though, he appreciated how many of the swimmers from the deep Aragon roster contributed to the boys’ first PAL meet championship in 29 years.

“That added up to a lot of points to ... so that was the big thing,” Barthold said.

In the girls’ meet, Carlmont’s Sydney Niles and Kelsey Leung each earned two titles. They teamed on the 200 free relay with Katelin Kwan and Kacy Wang to take first place in 1:40.97. Niles took first place in the 200 IM in 2:05.87. Leung prevailed in the distance department, taking first in the 500 free in 5:11.12.

Other boys’ results …

Woodside senior Seth Collet was named the Rick Longyear Swimmer of the Meet. Collet earned two titles, triumphing in the 100 free in a spirited finish with Menlo-Atherton junior Landon Picard. Collet hit the wall in 46.53, just ahead of Picard’s finish of 46.68. In the 100 back, Collet won with a little more breathing room, finishing in 49.92.

Mills junior William Walz won two titles. He took first place in the 500 free in 4:39.65, and also teamed in the 200 free relay with Kyle Lam, Aaron Ngo and Benjamin Nopper to win it in 1:31.13.

Other girls’ results …

San Mateo senior Parker Del Balso earned two individual titles, winning the 100 free in 52.17, and the 100 back in 55.78.

Menlo-Atherton freshman Hailey Preuss took the title in the 200 free in 1:53.78; Aragon freshman Lily Anagnoson took first in the 50 free in 24.35; Woodside junior Edana Huang won the 100 fly in 56.39; Sequoia senior Christa Iwers won the 100 breast in 1:09.60; and Aragon’s 400 free relay team of Delainey Brandt, Alyssa Burdick, Daryn Schell and Lily Anagnoson took first place in 3:45.49, out-touching M-A’s second-place time of 3:45.63.