SAN JOSE -- The Morgan Hill Swim Club opened the short course season in a recent meet in San Jose. Thirty-two Makos participated, among more than 840 swimmers representing 40 teams in Pacific Swimming.
Morgan Hill swimmers enjoyed great weather and fine performances, with more than two-thirds of their swims marking personal-record times.
Swimming in her first meet for the Makos, Abbey Pfefferlen, 10, had PRs in 100 percent of her races. She made huge improvements and clocked two new 'B' times. Teammate Cassie Tran, 11, enjoyed significant drops and also earned two new 'B' times. Swimming in a tougher age group, Morgan Hill Swim Club's Eduardo Hernandez, 11, earned a new 'B' team, and Kelly Pearman, 13, added a new 'B' time in the 200-meter freestyle. Pearman now has 'B' times in all of her events.
The Makos' Karen McElheney, 15, finished eighth in the 1,000 meters and seventh in the 500-meter freestyle. Prashan Wilipitiya, 14, snagged seventh in the 100-meter freestyle. Sky Morris, 13, placed fifth in the 200-meter breaststroke with an excellent first-time effort. Sesa Ferdun, 10, took sixth, seventh and eighth and capped her meet with a victory in the 50-meter breaststroke. Morgan Hill Swim Club's Connor Tran, 8, scored a pair of new 'A' times and added two fifth-place finishes. Elijah Urbina, 9, added a new 'A' time and scored fifth-, sixth- and seventh-place finishes. Victoria Martini, 10, clocked a new 'A' time, plus several new Junior Olympic Qualifying times and an eighth-place finish.
Devon McDonald, 12, of the Makos earned a new 'B' time in the 50-meter butterfly and broke through for a new 'A' time in the 200 breaststroke. She also swam her first qualifying time for the Junior Olympic Championships.
Teammate Kaitlin Rooney, 8, had an excellent meet with a new 'B' time, four new 'A' times, plus fourth- and seventh-place finishes to her credit. Christiana Bridges, 12, swam to a new 'A' time and added the 500 freestyle to her repertoire of Far Western-qualified events. She placed third and sixth, and won the 200 and 500 freestyle.Teammate Gabrielle Smith, 12, clocked PRs in 7 of 8 races and added two new 'A' times, one new 'AA' time, one new Far Western-Q time, snagged a pair of third-place finishes and won the 100- and 200-meter breaststroke. Her time in the 200 breaststroke was fast enough for a Pacific reportable time.
Also for the Makos, Daniel Pawlak, 12, started the meet with four 'A' times and four 'B' times. He clocked a new 'A' time, three new 'AA' times, four new Far Western times, scored second, third, fifth and won five events.
Next up for Morgan Hill Swim Club is the C/B/A/+ meet this month.
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