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Girls to swim in Ironman

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Ramona High School’s girls swim team improved its dual meet record in Valley League competition and overall for the season to 3-1 with a 93-76 win April 13 over Canyon Crest.

“It was a really good meet,” said Ramona coach Jolyn Yanez. “The girls were really excited about it because there was a little more competition.”

The Bulldogs had won their previous dual meets by 123-47 and 134-36 margins. The April 13 meet was held at Del Norte High School, which does not field varsity athletics this year but participated in a junior varsity tri-meet along with the Bulldogs and Ravens. Ramona’s JV squad defeated the Ravens by a 73-68 score while losing to Del Norte by a 110-41 margin.

Ramona’s junior varsity scores were in part reduced by a short-handed team after Yanez moved freshmen Jessi Gilbert and Rachel Hogervorst to the varsity to replace two unavailable varsity swimmers and give the varsity Bulldogs the 12 members necessary to obtain full scores. Gilbert and Hogervorst joined Gina Lucas and Lisse Litka-Baughman to give the Bulldogs four freshmen.

“That always makes things exciting,” Yanez said of adding two freshmen to the varsity. “You don’t know what to expect.”

The meet started with the 200-yard medley relay. Ramona’s team of Lucas and juniors Katherine Abbott, Sydney Davison and Taylor Ford won the race while the Ramona team of Hogervorst, junior Madi Lanz, Gilbert and senior Taylor Shinnick earned third-place points.

The medley relay race also gave Ford her first varsity win.

“She was definitely hustling to the finish,” Yanez said.

Litka-Baughman won the 100-yard backstroke with a time of 1:08.11, while Hogervorst placed third in that race at 1:19.26 after having competed in the medley relay and the 50-yard freestyle prior to the backstroke event. Lucas won two races, taking the 100-yard butterfly in 1:03.97 and the 100-yard breaststroke in 1:11.91.

Junior Ellie Carrano won the 50-yard freestyle in 26.39 seconds while senior Brice Maruna had the fastest time in the 500-yard freestyle at 5:41.53.

Ramona’s team of Carrano, Litka-Baughman, Lucas, and senior Breann Stevens took first place in the 400-yard freestyle relay.

Although Stevens didn’t win any individual races, she finished second in the 100-yard and 200-yard freestyle events.

“It gave Breann a real chance to sprint,” Yanez said.

The Bulldogs will return to Del Norte High School for Saturday’s Ironman Relays meet.

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