Winning three championships in a row is a tremendous feat to accomplish in any sport, that sense of victory is compounded when the team is made up of athletes from a wide range of ages like with the Turlock Seadogs swim team.
After Saturday’s league championship victory, the Turlock Seadogs summer recreational program hold the MVSL title for the third consecutive season following an impeccable performance at Pitman High.
Behind a strong team performance, backed up by the top boys team in league, the Seadogs managed to handle a big win against the opposing four schools topping out with a score of 1674.5, over 200 points ahead of second place Ripon (1437), while Ceres finished third (1253).
“We were always hopeful to win, the kids have been working so hard but I didn’t know how it would result and would play out,” said Seadogs coach Michaela Solario. “Our kids really wanted it and most of our kids had their best times. A long and hot day, but it ended in our favor with the outcome we wanted so we were all excited.”
The win was not easy for the local swim squad as they needed everybody to be in top shape and perform as best they could, and at the end the swimmers didn’t disappoint besting all the schools in points total.
“With the qualifications and the kids having so many meets to get here, it is always so difficult but we have been lucky to have such a great set of kids and parents that want to be here every weekend,” Solario said.
With over 102 events, the Seadogs were able to outscore every team on the boys side by over 400 points, proving why they are the dominant team for boys in the MVSL.
“Our boys outscored everybody by a lot,” said Solario. “At every level there is a powerhouse team, well with us it’s certainly our boys of all age groups.”
The boys relay teams were showstoppers as the 7-8 year-olds topped out in the 100 yard free relay for the Seadogs as they got things started with a first place finish with the team consisting of Tyler Miller, Mitchell Clark, Cooper Harris and Jordan Garcia.
The unforgettable moment of the day was the boys 15-18 200 yard free relay team that broke the record that had stood since 2002 by 1.74 seconds en route to taking first place in the event.
This team was made up of Nathan Olson, Allan Quinn, CJ Cossey and Zach Glidden, as they clocked in at a time of 1:33.67.
“It was really something because the kids came up to coach Erich [Richter] since he was part of that team who held the record and told him about it,” Solario said about her team's reaction to breaking the record.
Although it was a team effort for the Seadogs, Madison Ngo, who competes with the 9-10 year-old girls, was a critical points getter for her team after topping out with three second place finishes and was part of the 200 yard free relay team that finished third.
“We got a lot of second place times like Madison [Ngo] who might not get as much recognition as she should, but improved all her times,” said Solario. “She is one of the girls stepping up at her age group and we are all extremely proud of her.”
Also contributing to the team was Sierra Yandell (11-12 girls) who had a rough start to her season with a large group but ended her year on a high note, taking second in the 50 yard breast and third in the 50 free.
