Six Palisades-Malibu YMCA swimmers competed at the annual Junior Olympics Meet held in Mission Viejo last Wednesday-Sunday. Four swam individual events: 13-year-olds Alexandra Edel and Jennifer Tartavull, 11-year-old Catherine Wang and 10-year-old Nicholas Edel. Out of the four, three reached the finals. Alex Edel took 16th in the 400 Individual Medley in 5:37.11, setting a new Paly record. Nicholas Edel made the finals in both the 50 Breaststroke and 200 Freestyle. He took fifth in the Breaststroke, setting a new Paly record of 43.71 seconds, then finished 16th in the 200 Freestyle (2:49.81). He also set a record in the 200 Individual Medley (3:14.69) before illness prevented him from competing the final day. Catherine Wang made it in the 100 Butterfly and ended up 12th in 1:14.09. Wang scored five points. Jennifer Tartavull swam the 200 Breaststroke and missed the finals by .53 seconds. The biggest surprise was Paly’s 13-14 Girls’ 200 Freestyle Relay, which was seeded 27th but wound up seventh overall. The girls qualified at 2:05.36 and swam the race in 2:00.36, besting a seven-year- old Paly record. The relay team consisted of Alex Edel, Kimberly Tartavull, Allison Merz and Jennifer Tartavull. As a team, Paly finished 32nd out of 43 teams despite bringing only six swimmers. “I was really pleased with the performance of all the kids,” Paly coach Kameron Kennedy said. “They deserve all the glory. The kids have worked hard this season and it has paid off tremendously. Next year we’re going to be an even bigger threat–not just in the YMCA league, but in the U.S.S. League as well. Anyone interested in trying out for the team should go to the Temescal Canyon pool. Tryouts are at 4 p.m. for 10-and-unders and 5 p.m. for 11-and-overs. Call 770-3339 for questions.
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