Chargers master pool, swim to record times

The CIF-Southern Section Masters Meet record in the 200-yard medley relay and girls’ 100-yard backstroke now belongs to Edison.

The Chargers foursome of freshman Cindy Tran, juniors Jessie Knight and Yasi Jahanshahi, and senior Kiersten Colesen, set the new meet record on May 15 at Belmont Plaza Pool in Long Beach. Their time of 1:48.63 eclipsed the previous record of 1:50.22 set last May by Mission Viejo.

Mission Viejo finished second to Edison in the event but also shattered last year’s record by swimming a 1:48.70.

Edison also garnered another team title, winning the girls’ 400-free relay. The team of Jahanshahi, sophomore Monique Wilson, Colesen and Tran won the event in 3:33.35, and again beat out perennial power Mission Viejo (3:34.20) to win the race.

Tran also sped to the title in the girls’ 100-back, her winning time of 55.75 establishing a new meet record. The old mark, 56.54, was set last May by Mission Viejo’s Meghan Dwyer. At this year’s meet, Dwyer finished second (56.78) to Tran.

Jahanshahi (56.03) and Tran (56.10) also finished fourth and fifth, respectively, in the girls’ 100-butterfly. Jahanshahi also had another top time in the girls’ 500-free, where her time of 4:56.55 earned her an eighth-place finish.

During the course of the season, Tran established new school, Sunset League and Masters Meet marks in the 100-back. The 200-medley relay team also set new school, league and Masters Meet marks.

The 400-free relay broke the previous school record by five seconds, a mark that had stood at Edison since 1991.

“My team had worked hard all season; they were 8-0 during the season,” said Chargers Coach Crystal Whitmore, who added that all but one of her team’s dual-meet opponents had been ranked in the county’s top 10 poll at one point or another during the season. “The only disappointing time was when we did not become league champs.

“While a lot of teams tend to swim slower at CIF, it was very exciting to see the girls continue to improve and beat the teams that beat us in the final league meet. Then, to place third at CIF was a real high point. Finally, at Masters, we won two relays. It was a great ending to an amazing season.”

Also at the CIF Masters Meet, Huntington Beach junior Julian Bonse placed third and medaled in the boys’ 500-free (4:38.09) and placed 13th (1:45.24) in the boys’ 200-yard free, and senior Greg White finished 16th (52.89) in the 100-butterfly; Marina junior Kevin Sellars finished in eighth-place (1:55.33) in the boys’ 200 individual medley relay and 14th (4:41.69) in the boys’ 500-free; Edison junior Chris Salgado (252.75) was seventh in the boys’ one-meter diving.

Bonse and Greg White swam personal bests in their respective events at the CIF finals on May 11.