In the fire of their midseason, swimmers from all over Long Beach showed impressive performances at the Wilson-hosted annual Klaus Barth Invitational at Long Beach City College. With incredible results from Lucas Jue (who broke the Poly record in the 100 backstroke and 500 free) along with many athletes who qualified for CIF, this meet brought out big energy from both fans and athletes.
On the boys’ side, the Bruins’ consistent efforts from their deep field of athletes led them to win with a score of 187, 12 points above second place. This triumph was led by athletes such as junior Keegan Abing and Elijah Vince who both swam in multiple events and aided in the points race to overtake Poly. Along with individual events, their relay teams were vital as they won both the 4×50 freestyle event and placed second in the 400 freestyle relay.
While Wilson won in points, the Jackrabbits brought more first place finishers for the night ending with four total against the Bruins’ two. The Jackrabbits’ performance was brought together by junior Lucas Jue who broke the Poly record for the 100 backstroke with a time of 48.76, just shy of the league record 48.48; he also set a school record in the 500 free.
“He is a super dedicated swimmer,” said Poly coach Ish Pluton. “He’s putting in so many hours so watching him set these record breaking times mid season is just a treat because I know he’s working hard.”
All across the board this competitive meet brought out the best in athletes and on the girls’ side, the Jackrabbits came second (top among LB teams) while winning first place in many of their races. The team was led by Belle Puckett who won both the 200 freestyle and the 500 freestyle along with Maya Guavara who won the 50 freestyle and 100 freestyle. The two also contributed to the success of both the 200 medley and 400 freestyle relays.
“We had so many CIF cards being given out today and I’m stoked,” said poly coach Ali Landeros. “We have a lot of amazing athletes out here and it definitely contributed to the times for everyone.”
It was also a special night for those who know the history of Long Beach swim, as the Wilson girls’ team this year is coached by Kristin Barth Kredell, the daughter of Klaus Barth, the legendary namesake of the city’s top nonleague swim invitational.
Notable results:
Boys:
200 Medley Relay – Lucas Jue, Billy Cruz, Mordox Sar, Kyle Oatey 1:38.42 (Poly)
200 Freestyle – Keegan Abing 1:49.41 (Wilson)
100 Freestyle – Kyle Oatey 48.98 (Poly)
500 Freestyle – Lucas Jue 4:25.00 (Poly)
200 Freestyle Relay – Kai Bramble, Samson Casem, Aidan Conrey, Elijah Vince 1:30.61 (Wilson)
100 Backstroke – Lucas Jue 48.76 (Poly)
Girls:
200 Medley Relay – 1:51.72 (Poly)
200 Freestyle – Belle Puckett 1:55.01 (Poly)
50 Freestyle – Maya Guavara 24.90 (Poly)
100 Butterfly – Kylie Montiel 58.74 (Millikan)
100 Freestyle – Maya Guavara (Poly)
500 Freestyle – Belle Puckett 5:03.42 (Poly)
400 Freestyle Relay – Belle Puckett, Nikki Bickel, Phoebe Kuo, Maya Guavara 3:36.86 (Poly)
