Backstroke

The following are updates on area athletes at the collegiate level. Briana Swinney (Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy, 2010) sophomore, San Jose State women's swimming and diving: The Spartans are on fire - winners of six straight dual meets - and Swinney is leading way. The former Tolog and returning All-Western Athletic Conference second-team selection was a winner in three events on Jan. 20 to propel San Jose State to a...

GLENDALE ? While standing on the pool deck shortly before he competed against some of the top swimmers from across the country, James Martin could sense the highly competitive atmosphere. Martin, a Crescenta Valley High graduate, had little to be disappointed about moments after he finished his exhausting race. The USC-bound Martin clocked 2 minutes 7.15 seconds to finish seventh in the men's 200-meter long-course backstroke final on Tuesday night at the Speedo USA Swimming Junior National Championships at the William Woollett Jr. Aquatic Center in Irvine.

CRESCENTA VALLEY COACH : Robert Miller, second year. LEAGUE : Pacific SWIMMERS TO WATCH : Sara Sun, senior, freestyle; Yumi So, sophomore, butterfly; Emily Thai, freshman, freestyle; Ani Nalbandian, sophomore, backstroke; Keri Kunkel, junior, freestyle; Michelle Du, sophomore, backstroke. MILLER'S QUOTE : "We had some good swimmers last year too, but this year it seems like we're more evenly paced [as a team]

The CCY Dragon Swim Team began the 2005 Long Course season with an excellent showing at the Pacific Section ABC "Spring Fling" Long Course Meet held at the AAF Rose Bowl Aquatics Center in Pasadena on April 16-17. Competing against 29 area club teams, the Dragons went home with sixth place overall and many medals and ribbons for individual swimmers. Fifteen-year-old Nam Hee Kim had an outstanding meet, winning all of her events with many personal best times. Yumi So, 14, and Jason Kim, 12, also took home all gold and one silver each in their events.

GLENDALE ? Sara Sun still can't shake her illness, and it showed in large proportions Monday night. The standout Crescenta Valley High girls' senior swimmer clocked 9 minutes 8.22 seconds to finish 48th in the women's 800-meter long-course freestyle event at the Speedo USA Swimming Junior National Championships at the William Woollett Jr. Aquatic Center in Irvine. Seventy-eight athletes took part in the 16-lap race. Sun, the two-time News-Press Female Athlete of the Year, has been bothered by a cold since late last week.

CRESCENTA VALLEY COACH: Jan Sakonju, ninth year. LEAGUE: Pacific. SWIMMERS TO WATCH: Sharif Alaoui, senior, butterfly/individual medley; Jason Kim, junior, backstroke/breaststroke; Tristan Winterhalter, senior, freestyle; Chris Veselich, junior, freestyle; Ho Jean Yoon, sophomore, breaststroke; Andrew De Jong, sophomore, butterfly/individual medley; Josh Chi, sophomore, freestyle; Barkev Arslanian, senior, backstroke/freestyle....

The CCY Dragon boys and girls lived up to expectations at the 20th annual Dragon Invitational Meet, held Nov. 3/4 at the Commerce Aquatorium. Jason Kim swam for two YMCA National qualifying times in the 100 and 200 breaststrokes, setting new meet records along the way and going for gold in the 50 and 200 freestyles, 100 and 200 backstrokes, and 200 individual medleys. Nam Hee Kim, won all of her events in the girls' 15 and older division (100 and 500 freestyles, 100 backstroke, 200 individual medley )

The CCY Dragons Swim Team made again performed well at the Southern California AA Swimming Championships held June 15-16 at the Canyons Aquatic Center in Santa Clarita. Competing against swimmers from 32 Southland swim clubs, Nineteen members of the Dragons swam fast enough to qualify in the meet. Eleven Dragons also qualified for the super finals, finals or consolation rounds. Representing the Crescenta-Cañada Y were Nam Hee Kim, Yumi So, Tricia Dobson, Michelle Du, Christine Ku, Rachel Ku, Robin Yi, Stephanie Kim, Justine Lee, Jason Kim, Matthew Riek and Seth Biagini.

The following are updates on area athletes at the collegiate level. Briana Swinney (Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy, 2010) sophomore, San Jose State women's swimming and diving: The Spartans are on fire - winners of six straight dual meets - and Swinney is leading way. The former Tolog and returning All-Western Athletic Conference second-team selection was a winner in three events on Jan. 20 to propel San Jose State to a...

GLENDALE — Some of the top youth and college swimmers from around the nation came together at Mission Viejo Marguerite Swim Center for the four-day 2010 TYR Swim Meet of Champions, which concluded on Sunday evening. The final day of competition saw three athletes with ties to Crescenta Valley High compete in championship finals, with 2009 graduate Yumi So and current freshmen Young Tae Seo and Harrison Thai performing well in their heats. So, who will be a sophomore at USC in the fall, picked up a third-place finish in 1 minute 01.90 seconds in the A-final heat of the women's 100-meter butterfly on Sunday to go with the fourth-place finish she turned in in 2:16.

Shortly after breaking the CIF-SS Division II 100 yard butterfly record, Yumi So could have been happier. “I was happy that I broke my previous record,” So said, “but I wasn’t stoked about it. I didn’t do my personal best time, 52.70 seconds.” So finished at 53.03 in the girls’ 100 yard butterfly, good to set a new Division II meet record and only half a second of the national high school record (52.41, set in 1996 by Misty Hyman of Shadow Mountain, Ariz.

CRESCENTA VALLEY COACH: Jan Sakonju, ninth year. LEAGUE: Pacific. SWIMMERS TO WATCH: Sharif Alaoui, senior, butterfly/individual medley; Jason Kim, junior, backstroke/breaststroke; Tristan Winterhalter, senior, freestyle; Chris Veselich, junior, freestyle; Ho Jean Yoon, sophomore, breaststroke; Andrew De Jong, sophomore, butterfly/individual medley; Josh Chi, sophomore, freestyle; Barkev Arslanian, senior, backstroke/freestyle....

As a junior, La Cañada High?s Ian Mirisola proved himself to be an elite swimmer when he helped the Spartans capture the CIF Southern Section Division II title. If the Spartans were to repeat as Division II champs in 2008, however, La Cañada Coach Art Lopez would need more than just Mirisola?s best efforts in the pool. ?Ian was one of our captains and I more or less said to him, ?This is your team and you need to rally them around you and get them going,?? Lopez said. ?He kind of guided and led the younger guys on what they were going to have to do to really step up to the big championship meet.

As a junior, La Cañada High?s Ian Mirisola proved himself to be an elite swimmer when he helped the Spartans capture the CIF Southern Section Division II title. If the Spartans were to repeat as Division II champs in 2008, however, La Cañada Coach Art Lopez would need more than just Mirisola?s best efforts in the pool. ?Ian was one of our captains and I more or less said to him, ?This is your team and you need to rally them around you and get them going,?? Lopez said. ?He kind of guided and led the younger guys on what they were going to have to do to really step up to the big championship meet.

GLENDALE — Saturday was a breakthrough day for former Crescenta Valley High swimming standout James Martin, as he qualified for two championship final heats at the Janet Evans Invitational at USC’s McDonald’s Swim Stadium. Yumi So’s breakthrough came a day later at the Mutual of Omaha Swimvitational in Omaha, where the Crescenta Valley junior qualified for her only championship final in three days of competition. It was Andrea Kropp of Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy who enjoyed the most success out of the small group of locals active in either major national event, however.

GLENDALE — Traditionally, the onset of the summer season heralds the arrival of some of the biggest national swimming events of the year. Leading up to the Olympic trials June 28-31 in Omaha, 2008 is no exception. But because the Olympics are this year, the normal schedule has been altered, leading to the the simultameous convergence of three major meets in three different time zones this weekend. Local swimmers will participate in two of them, beginning on Thursday when Crescenta Valley High junior Yumi So and former Falcons standout Sara Sun travel to the Mutual of Omaha Swimvitational in Omaha.

GLENDALE — The following are odds and ends from the local sports scene .   GLENDALE GRAD DOESN’T MAKE CUT Cuts to the USA Men’s Senior National Team were announced via press release on Wednesday and Glendale High graduate Kevin Witt was one of the casualties. Therefore, Witt, an All-CIF standout for the Nitros before excelling at Loyola Marymount University, will miss out on his dream to play in the 2008 Olympics. Team USA Coach Terry Schroeder announced the cuts that saw the roster dwindle from 24 to 18. “These players have helped to bring the men’s program to a new level,” Schroeder said in a statement.

GLENDALE ? Over the final two days of the Speedo Grand Challenge, which concluded Sunday evening at the Woolett Aquatics Center in Irvine, three swimmers with local ties made their way into championship final heats. Crescenta Valley High junior Yumi So followed up a third-place performance in the championship final of Saturday?s 100-yard butterfly with a first-place finish in Sunday?s A-final of the 200 butterfly. Her Swim Pasadena teammate Andrea Kropp, a sophomore at Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy, placed in the top four of championship heats in the 400 individual medley and the 200 breaststroke, while James Martin, a Crescenta Valley grad representing Trojan Swim Club, took home second place in the championship final of the 100 backstroke on Saturday.