Vandenberg Leads Campo Lindo to CIF North Coast Girls’ Title; Las Lomas Wins the Boys’ Crown

MORAGA, Cali. AS a sophomore last season, Campolindo High sprinter Kim Vandenberg ranked No. 1 nationally in the 100 free (49.43) and No. 2 in the 50 (23.08) off her wins at the CIF North Coast Championships.

This year she moved up to the 200 and recorded the nation's fastest prep clocking of the year — a quick 1:48.14 — at the CIF North Coast Championships in her home pool here today. Vandenberg also won the 500 free in a pr 4:54.05 and led off the winning 200-400 free relays to help propel the Cougars to a whopping 356-197 point team victory over runners-up Miramonte.

Third was Cal High (188) followed by Las Lomas (183) and Carondolet — superstar Natalie Coughlin's old school — with 159.

On the boys' side Las Lomas, paced by senior John Dorr — who was a dual winner in the 200 IM-500 free (1:50.48 – 4:27.16 with a meet record 4:25.98 in the prelims) — splashed to a 255-219 victory over Campo with Amador Valley (199), San Ramon (164) and Cal High (130) occupying places three through five.

In combined scoring, Campo was a runaway victor — 575 to Las Lomas' 478. Third was Miramonte (314).

While Vandenberg was national runner-up last season in the 50 the fastest prepster — Kelly Bennett of Gillette High in Wyoming — had the advantage of swimming her championship in the rareified air of Laramie's near 5000 foot elevation. So the Campo sprint sensation was the fastest at sea level.

Moving up to the 200-500 this year proved no problem for the junior as her 1:48.14 eclipsed the previous fatest national time, a 1:48.23 by University's Jessica Hayes at the CIF Southern Section Division II Championships in the Belmont Plaza Olympic Pool a week earlier.

Hayes in turn took the No. 1 spot away from Canyon's Erin Vulcan, who raced to the CIF DI title at Belmont the previous day in 1:49.41 to Newport's Carly Gehr's 1:49.42.

The fastest independent school 200 is a 1:49.47 by sophomore Whitney Myers from Ursuline Academy in Cincinnati.

Vandenberg might well have gone under 4:50 in the 500 had she been pressed but the second-place finisher was far in arrears at 5:01+.

Although her school didn't have the depth of its rivals, Clayton Valley junior Laura Davis showed she'll be a swimmer to be reckoned with in years to come off her 1:59.50 – 54.50 200 IM-100 fly double. She also swam the fly leg on CV's winning 200 medley relay team that clocked a fast 1:47.59 to Campo's No. 2 1:47.97.

The winning time is the second-fastest nationally among public schools for the 2000-01 season, topped only by Irvine's national record-setting 1:44.80 at the CIF Southern Section DI Championships.

Two prep schools — Lake Highlands in Texas (1:46.10) and Bolles (1:46.14) — have also been faster.

Davis' IM victory is just off her pr of 1:59.21 that earned her the runner-up spot to Coughlin when the latter went her national-record 1:58.45 at last season's championships. The time also ranks her second nationally to Ursuline's Tami Ransom's Ohio state record 1:58.64 from a regional championship meet in late February.

San Clemente (CA.) High junior Kristen Caverly is the national No. 1 leader off her 1:58.84 that won the CIF Southern Section DI title the second Friday of the month.

Davis' 100 fly pr is a 53.70 from this year's Far Westerns, which would have gotten her Top 16 at the NCAA DI Championships.

She won last year's North Coast 100 breast race in a pr and section-record 1:02.21 and trains with, among others, a certain Ms. Coughlin under Coach Ray Mitchell at the Terrapins' USS club in Concord, CA.

Sparking Miramontes' runner-up girls' finish was soph sprnter Amy Thurman, who won the 50 (23.75) and 100 frees (51.47) and led off both the 200-400 free relays, which finished third and second, respectively.

Campo soph Katie Arnold aided the Cougar cause with her 56.39-57.45 100 back over Cal High senior Amy Ng (57.45), and the latter also finished No. 2 in the 200 IM with her pr 2:03.60.

The final girls' individual swim win went to promising Livermore soph Leah Avilla, who won the 100 breast in 1:03.35. She had earlier helped push Vandenberg to that nation-leading 200 free clocking with a pr 1:51.92– .01 faster than her prelim 1:51.93.

Winner of the 1-meter diving was Petaluma junior Victoria Moreno (398.55) with North Gate soph Amanda Schneider (390.40) second.

On the boys' side, aside from Dorr's IM-500 free double, University senior David Slavich went out a double-champion too as he stroked to wins in the 50
free (21.17) and 100 fly (51.18). The North Coast record in the 50 dates from 1983 when a certain future Olympic gold medalist (and still American record-holder in the 100-200 yard frees and the 100 meter freestyle) went 20.40 in his senior year at Campolindo.

Oh, his name? Bandi or Bundy or — how 'bout BIONDI?!

Campo senior Justin Chiles edged Acanales' senior Quinn Fitzgerald to win the 200 free, 1:39.71-1:40.17; Alhambra senior Nathaniel Dean won the 1-meter diving (487.35 points); Castro Valley senior Vince Martinez was fastest in the 100 free (45.15); Las Lomas was No. 1 in the 200 free relay (1:27.00 to Sir Francis Drake's 1:27.29); Campo's Scott Metcalf was tops in the 100 back (50.68) and Casa Grande's Graham Lentz's 56.57 won him the 100 breast with Amador Valley's Zack Zueker (57.51) second.

Zueker did a pr 57.02 in the prelims. Lentz's winning 56.57 ranks him No. 1 nationally among public school boys. The fastest independent school 100 breaststroker is Baylor School's (Tennessee) Will Brandt's 55.43.

Campo ended the meet on a winning note via its 3:08.90 – 3:10.98 400 free triumph over Amador Valley.

(Complete results are available @ www.cifncs.org/swimming)

— Bill Bell
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