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By Frank Smith
The San Manuel Miners High School varsity swim team is ready to take to the water for the 2012 upcoming season. Under the direction of first year Head Coach Alex Gort and Assistant Coach Charles Woodhouse, the Miners will look to improve on last year’s record as many of the meets that the Miners participated had four or more teams participating with the Boys Team winning three swim meets and finished among the top three teams in three other meets. The Girls Team did not win any meets, however they finished among the top three teams in five meets.
The Miners had a couple of accomplishments last season as San Manuel participated in 1A-3A Championship Meet. The Boys team finished in eighth place overall and the Girls team finished in ninth place overall.
The Top returners for the Boys are; Wayne Newman – Breaststroke and IM, John Bribiescas – Distance Freestyle. For the girls team are; Amara Apuron – Distance Freestyle and Individual Medley, Cierra Austin – Sprint Freestyle and Breaststroke, Nicole Primero – Sprint Freestyle and Backstroke and Jazelle Sanchez – Butterfly and Sprint Freestyle.
Top newcomers are; Senior Andy Monfred – Backstroke and Sprint Freestyle, Freshman Armando Noriega -Breaststroke and Butterfly, Alec Newman – Freestyle and IM, Taylor Woods – Backstroke and IM, and Cita Sweeney – Distance Freestyle and IM.
Other team members looking to make an impact are Senior Cade Cox – Sprint Freestyle and Sophomore Angella Earle – Freestyle and Breaststroke.
Coach Alex Gort said, “Miner swimming has a strong group of returning girls. The coaches expect the relay team of Amara Apuron, Cierra Austin, Nicole Primero, and Jazelle Sanchez to be very good this season providing a solid base for the team. New additions like Cita Sweeney and Kadi Monfred, as well as the offseason improvement by Megan Garcia and Fernanda Vasquez look to make the team good enough to win several meets this season.
Both the Boys and Girls Team have the potential to be the best Swim Teams San Manuel High School has ever fielded and every school record is within reach.”
The Miners will host their first meet of the season against Canyon State and St. Augustine today at 4:00 p.m. at the San Manuel pool.
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