For the second straight season The Paseo Club sent their top swimmers to the Junior Olympics—and for the second straight season they did not disappoint.
Led by 10 year old Julia Wolf, who earned seven Medals in seven events, including two Gold, the team’s four swimmers arrived at the North Clovis Aquatics Center in Fresno, California on March 11th and immediately made their presence felt.
Julia captured first place in her initial event, the 100 Yard Backstroke, and never looked back as she ripped through the 10-Under field, collecting a second Gold in the 50 Back, followed by 2 Silver Medals in the 200 Free and 50 Fly, respectively, and a Bronze in the 50 Free.
Julia also finished second overall in the High Point Award total, and qualified for the Far West Championships, where she will represent The Paseo Club in the National event held March 30 – April 2nd in San Jose, California.
As the team’s lone distance-swimmer, Paige Montoya, 13, set her sights on the grueling 1 Mile, 1000 Yard and 500 Yard events, pacing herself to personal bests in all three categories, and earning her first Junior Olympic Medal in the 1000 Yard Freestyle.
Danielle Merlo, 12, and only one year into competitive swimming, shattered her time in the 50 Free with a 28.80, earning a spot in the Consolation round of arguably the most hotly contested 12-Under bracket of the weekend. Danielle also qualified for the Consolation round in the 50 Breast, where she set a personal best in that Preliminary race as well.
The Paseo Club’s newest Junior Olympic swimmer, Alexandra (Alex) Duran, 12, also earned Consolation honors in the 100 Fly and 50 Free. Making her very first JO appearance, Alex bravely took on a highly competitive field in the 100 Yard Butterfly, battling the region’s very best to secure a personal best in the event’s Prelims.
Working daily under Coach Mikaela Cowan, who now oversees the team’s transition from Short Course (Yards) to Long Course (Meters), the team can look back on a season filled with tremendous success and progress. Whereas last year many of the swimmers only qualified in one or two events, 2011 saw each athlete competing in no less than four events over the 3-day meet, earning the respect of their opponents, and assuring The Paseo Club a prominent spot on the Junior Olympic swim map.
