First girls' swim meet sees four CIF automatic qualifiers

Fallbrook High School’s girls’ swim team began the 2009 season March 13 with a 100-70 loss to El Camino at home, but four automatic CIF qualifying times or scores were achieved.

Nikki Kohls scored 208.10 points on six dives to earn automatic entry into the CIF meet. Jamie Lusher obtained an automatic score with 196.30 points on six dives, and Fallbrook’s 200-yard medley relay and 200-yard freestyle relay teams posted automatic qualifying times.

Fallbrook’s 400-yard freestyle relay team swam a CIF meet consideration time, as did Lisa Walker in the 200-yard freestyle and Cassandra Dowden in the 200-yard individual medley.

The non-league meet gave Fallbrook coach Sean Redmond a chance to put swimmers in new events as well as to test their competitive ability at the start of the season. “A lot of them were actually faster than they were last year,” Redmond said.

All of the returning swimmers had faster times than they had at the start of the 2008 season. “Hopefully that translates into better performance and outcome by the end of the year,” Redmond said.

The realigned Avocado League includes Fallbrook, Torrey Pines, Escondido, La Costa Canyon, Mission Hills, and San Pasqual. “This is not going to be an easy league to compete in,” Redmond said.

Torrey Pines is expected to win the league. “For second place it’s going to be a tossup between everybody else,” Redmond said.

Escondido, Mission Hills, and San Pasqual were at the Cougar Relays March 14 along with Fallbrook. “We were all right there with each other,” Redmond said.

Fallbrook’s girls finished third at the Cougar Relays, which were held at Palomar College. “I thought it was good,” Redmond said of the team’s finish. “It’s an opportunity to see where they’re at and what they can do right now.”

Fallbrook didn’t win any races at the Cougar Relays. The Warriors finished second in five of the ten events, fourth in two races, fifth in one relay, and seventh in two contests. The Warriors took second in the 3x200 individual medley, 3x100 butterfly, 3x100 backstroke, 3x100 breaststroke, and 4x100 freestyle relays.

The Warriors open Avocado League competition March 25 at home against Escondido. “That will be a very good test for us,” Redmond said.

Fallbrook will also host a diving invitational March 28.

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