Liberty High swim teams take 2nd, 7th in CIF finals
Members of the Liberty High boys swim team celebrate with their CIF Runner-up plaque. By Doug Spoon, Editor Based on their performances on...
By Doug Spoon, Editor
Based on their performances on Saturday, the boys and girls swim teams at Liberty High School figure to be a force to be reckoned with in the years to come.
In only the second year of the program and the first year they had swimmers with qualifying times, the Bison made their mark at the CIF Southern Section Division 4 finals at Riverside City College.
The Liberty boys finished behind only Sierra Canyon to take the CIF Runner-up plaque. The girls finished seventh as a team. And remember, this is a school that still has no seniors.
“Last year we had some swimmers get CIF consideration, but none actually went to the CIF meet,” said swim coach Felicia Asbury. “I knew maybe next year if we stayed in Division 4, we could win it. But I wasn’t sure what to expect this year. This was a great day.”
Liberty’s boys team led in team scoring at the break, but the Bison had fewer swimmers entered in events the rest of the way. As Sierra Canyon took over the lead, Liberty engaged in a battle with Hemet and Covina for the runner-up plaque. In the final event – the 400 freestyle relay -- Hemet beat Covina for first place, but the scoring the Bison got from a 16th place finish enabled them to stay ahead of both schools in the final team standings.
The Bison’s team in that final race consisted of Gavin Stephens, Jake Hernandez, Teegun Shumway and Gunnar Spach. Liberty’s time was 3:54.40.
Earlier in the meet, Liam Kaas placed second in the 200 individual medley (2:02.26) and third in the 100 breaststroke (1:02.83). The Bison’s 200 medley relay team of Stephens, Kaas, Shumway, and Kohen Boots-Valencia placed second in 1:49.65. In the 200 freestyle relay, the team of Boots-Valencia, Hernandez, Spach, and Kaas placed fourth.
Elsewhere for the Bison, Shumway placed 12th in the 200 IM (2:23.34); Boots-Valencia placed 13th in the 50 freestyle (24.36); Spach took 13th in the 100 butterfly (1:01.80); and Tristan Maloles finished 14th in the 100 breaststroke (1:10.96).
Leading the way for the Liberty girls team was freshman Gwen Asbury, daughter of the team’s coach. She placed second in the 500 freestyle in 5:05.74. That time meets the qualifying standard for next week’s CIF state meet in Clovis, and Asbury will find out today whether she is among the top 40 swimmers among all CIF sections to qualify for that meet.
In addition, Asbury finished third in the 200 freestyle in a time of 1:58.01. The girls also got a boost from the 400 freestyle relay team of Asbury, NeyLias Atwood, Kylie Kaas, and Audrey Whitford, which placed third in 4:08.16.
In the 200 freestyle relay, Liberty’s team of Whitford, Kaas, Sophia Villar, and Asbury placed sixth with a time of 1:51.58.
Paloma Valley placed 21st in the Division 4 girls team standings. The Wildcats’ team of Kayla Avenetti, Madison LeFlore, Emma Leon, and Madison Marmolejo finished sixth in the 200 medley relay. In the 200 freestyle relay, the team of Avenetti, LeFlore, Alyssa Dixon, and Marmolejo placed 11th in 1:54.56.
Avenetti also placed 18th in the 100 backstroke in 1:13.12. In the 400 freestyle relay, the team of Leon, Elsie Sisson, Dixon, and Marmolejo took 15th place in 4:21.73.
Heritage High had one swimmer in the Division 3 finals, and he performed well. Jacob Vanrensburg placed sixth in the 200 IM in 2:02.05 and seventh in the 100 backstroke in 54.71.
