Badgers swim team blows away the NSL competition

'We had some great times too, even though we did not taper for this meet,' YHS coach Brandon Brokaw said.

By Mike Hackworth

(Updated: Wednesday, May 07, 2008, 6:21 PM)

"This team has done an outstanding job this year," Yosemite High School swim coach Brandon Brokaw said. "This was our best first-year group ever."

The Yosemite High School swim teams dominated the North Sequoia League Swimming and Diving Championships Thursday and Friday at the Baker Swim Complex with the boys varsity team outdistancing the rest of the competition 551 to 417 (second place was Sierra High School).

"We won all four divisions by more than 100 points each, which I am really excited about," Brokaw said. "It shows what great kids we have on our team and how hard they have worked all season."

The varsity girls were triumphant, scoring 558 points to 404 points scored by second-place Sierra.

The boys' junior varsity scored 347 points to second place Kerman, and the Yosemite girls team had 324 points and Firebaugh 217 (yes, the Eagles are in the league for swimming).

Blaine Salisbury (53.13 shaving his old time by -1.55) qualified for the C.I.F. Championships in the 100 free, and the varsity girls set new school records in the 200 (2:15.59) and 400 (4:07:20) free relays. The Badgers varsity boys set a new 200 free relay record (1:52.07) as well.

"We had some great times too, even though we did not taper for this meet," Brokaw said. "Our focus this year has been on the Division II Valley Championships which is this Friday (May 9), for diving, and Saturday, for swimming, in Bakersfield.

"I think that we are going to do very well at D-IIs this year. "We are going to surprise a lot of people."