It was still anyone’s meet with two events left to go when the Monta Vista and Los Gatos girls swimming teams battled it out last week.
The Matadors, though, made sure things were all but decided before the meet-ending 400-yard free relay.
Monta Vista swimmers finished one-two-three in the 100 breaststroke to all but wrap up the important dual meet win in the De Anza Division of the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League.
The 13 team points the Matadors secured in the breast proved too much for the Wildcats to overcome, even with a relay win in the final event of the day. Monta Vista had enough to record an impressive 96-90 win over the previously unbeaten Cats.
The win came on the same day that the Monta Vista boys cruised to a 97-86 De Anza Division win over Los Gatos. Both the Monta Vista boys and girls improved to 4-1 in dual meet competition.
The Gatos girls may have won six of the nine individual events contested and two of the three relays in their home waters, but the Matadors had more than enough depth to claim the team win.
And at no time was that more evident than in the 100 breast. Michelle Hsieh won the event in 1:10.24 with Emma Pickett second and Nicole Deacon third.
Hsieh had a big day for the Mats. In addition to her win in the breaststroke, she was first in the 100 free in 55.98 with teammate Avery Newman third, and she teamed with Camille Goenawan, Christina Cheng and Christine Chan to win the 200 medley relay in 1:54.26.
Demetra Williams ran up 234.70 points to win the diving event with Mia Judulana second.
Marissa Chan supported with a second in the 50 free with Goenawan third and a third in the 500 free, and Cheng was second in the 200 individual medley with Emma Pickett third and second in the 100 butterfly with C. Chan third.
Goenawan added a second in the 100 backstroke and Kelly Zheng was third in the 200 free.
The Monta Vista boys dominated the winner’s circle on their way to the team win over the Wildcats.
Keven Shang and Felix Chuin dominated the day for the Matadors. Shang was first in both the 200 IM in 1:59.41 and the 100 fly in 53.94, and Chuin was a winner in both the 50 free in 22.31 and the 100 free in 48.47.
Shang and Chuin teamed with Tommy Chen and Lucca Martins to win the 200 free relay in 1:29.80. To open the meet, Shang and Chen got together with Nikhil Kundu and Jarod Olay for a win in the 200 medley relay in 1:39.68, and Olay, Martins, Jason Loo and Chuin closed out the day with a first in the 400 free relay in 3:16.77.
Martins added a win in the 500 free in 4:47.57 with Loo second and he came back with a third in the 50 free.
Evan Zhang was second in the 100 back and third in the 200 IM and Zach Hsieh was second in the 100 breast and third in the 100 fly. Adding thirds for the Mats were Jason Yuan in the 100 back, Steve Yang in the 200 free, Olay in the 100 free and Chen in the 100 breast.
