NAPA — Five Lake County Channel Cat swimmers competed last weekend in the Father”s Day Frenzy long-course swim meet at Napa Valley College.
Spread over three days, the event drew 522 swimmers representing 23 swim clubs from throughout the North Coast and Bay Area.
The Channel Cats, coached by Agustin Merodio, put forth a strong performance, competing in 36 events and earning a rainbow of ribbons.
Matteo Merodio, 15, continued an impressive show of faster times in A-level competition. He improved his best times in five out of eight events and is closing in on achieving Junior Olympic time standards in the 50-meter and 100 freestyle.
Allison Hanson, 13, experienced the added challenge of moving up an age division (to 13-14) to faster time standards. Even so, she kept her competitive edge in all events, improving marks and earning B-level times in five events. She won the 200 butterfly, placed second in the 50 freestyle and 200 backstroke, and earned a third in the 100 butterfly.
Hanson was mere tenths of a second away from an A-level time in the 50 freestyle.
Sarah Merodio, 12, took eight seconds off her backstroke time, earning a fifth in the B division in the 50 backstroke. She also achieved a third in the 200 freestyle and a third in the 50 butterfly.
Lauren Rudnick, 9, improved her times in six events, scoring B-level times in five events. She earned a second in the 200 freestyle and a third in the 50 freestyle. Like teammate Hanson, Rudnick is mere tenths of a second away from an A-level time in the 50 freestyle in her age division.
Charlie Adams, 8, swam three events Sun-day, earning second-, third- and fourth-place finishes in the boys” 8-and-under 100 freestyle, 100 backstroke and 50 breaststroke.
The Lake County Channel Cats swim four evenings a week at the Westshore Pool in Lakeport. Swimming competitively is not a requirement for joining the team. Call Jennifer Hanson at 263-3131 for more information.
