First Lady General going to State Swim Meet

A Lady General athlete became the first ever to qualify from Shafter High for the State Swimming Championships – male or female.

With a first place in the 100 yard butterfly at the Valley Championships, Sara Jane Osborne punched her ticket for the State meet this weekend – by over a full second.

According to Head Coach Larissa Davis, Osbourne has been dominant this year and she is proud of all of the girls. "We have worked so hard, especially with not having a home pool to swim in, that this has been a huge accomplishment," she said.

The swim team traveled to Hanford last weekend to compete in the Valley meet, held at Sierra Pacific High School. This small team has been defying odds all season, with improving times throughout the year, culminating with several medals.

The two relay teams, consisting of Osborne, Josephine Martin, Sydnee Macias and AnneMarie Piuser, captured two medals at the meet, with the team winning 3rd place in the 200 yard medley relay, and getting fourth place in the 200 yard freestyle relay. The team came in ranked in the top four in each event, improving on their seeded places and receiving medals.

Also individually, Josephine Martin lived up to her ranking and captured a second place medal in the 200IM event, as well as getting a third place in the 100 yard butterfly. "It was great to see us place 1st and 3rd in the butterfly," said Davis.

Osborne added a second place in the 100 yard backstroke, improving on her qualifying time this season. To round out the results, Annemarie Piuser placed 15th in the 50 yard freestyle.

Davis also said that this could be just the beginning. With the school hoping to get the use of a newly renovated pool at the Shafter Aquatic Center this coming season, Davis is expecting to increase the team membership. Additionally, the team is still very young, with all of the swimmers on the team returning next year.