By Danny Kelleher
Sports Editor
No matter the sport, it is very difficult to compete against 83 opponents. The Mustang swim team encountered this when it traveled to Long Beach’s Belmont Plaza Olympic Pool to compete in CIF on May 4 and May 6.
Of the four total events that Costa competed in, the girls 4×50 team’s third-place finish in the consolation finals at 1:41.17 was the best of any race for the Mustangs. Despite missing the firstplace prize, the race time broke the school record.
“This year, the field was really fast in CIF,” Bartlett said. “We didn’t place as well as usual even though we set school records.”
Senior Marisa Purcell’s times in both the 100 backstroke and the 100 freestyle earned her spots
in the finals, although she did not place in either event.
“Marisa was the key ingredient to setting the school record [for the 4×50],” Bartlett said. “She had to swim [in the 100 backstroke] right after, and I think she was tired.”
Despite qualifying for the finals in the 100 butterfly event, senior Erik Yan was unable to attend the meet for personal reasons. Because of this, no Costa boy swimmers competed in the finals.
“It was disappointing, but there were more important things to attend to,” Yan said.
Just a week before the CIF meets, the Costa team traveled to Redondo to compete in the Bay League finals. The girls took home the Bay League championship from the Bay League finals at Redondo Union High School, and the win not only marked Bartlett’s first Bay League title as coach but also served as the team’s first Bay League win in more than 10 years. The boys team got third place.
Although many members of the team will be leaving, the returning swimmers plan on maintaining the high standard that was set this year.
“We definitely have a chance to improve,” sophomore Meriel Mitsakos said. “As a team, my goal is to become more unified.”
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