Young Neptunites kick off summer action

The Porterville Neptunites dove into their 2009 competitive season head-first on Tuesday night. 

The Neptunites, who showcase a roster of 210 swimmers this year, hosted the Woodlake Tiger Sharks.  

For many of the Neptunites in the 6-and-under age category, it was the first time they had competed in a dual meet.  But with the guidance of their coaches and many cheers from their fans, the novice swimmers were soon in the “swim” of things.

In the 100-yard freestyle relay, the top 6-and-under Neptunites team of Zannah Castaneda, Keona McRae, Elissabel Ortiz, and Johanna Scheer captured the first-place ribbon for the girls.  The relay team of Claire Lee, Emily Efseaff, Allyssa Bodoh, and Addy Sampietro placed second.  

The 6-and-under boys finished equally strong with the team of Seth Lopez, Owen Spindler, Daryn Edgar, and Zackary Castaneda wrapping up the first-place finish.  Taylor Lollis, Gabe Bower, Hunter Conrad, and Hayden Scott claimed the second place award.

The Neptunites swam well in the freestyle event.  The girls claimed the top three positions with Scheer, Castaneda and Ortiz, in that order.  While a Woodlake swimmer claimed the first prize for the boys, the Neptunites filled the next three positions starting with Spindler, Lopez, then Edgar.

The final event of the evening was backstroke.  Special recognition goes to Scheer (first place), Castaneda (second), and Efseaff (third), who swam magnificently for the girls.  Also worthy of praise were Edgar (second place), Spindler (third), and Quade Castaneda (fourth).

Many of the Neptunites improved their times from the previous week’s practice meet.  The swimmers who made the most significant reductions in their times are as follows:  Emily Robertson, age 4, (-50.25 seconds, backstroke), Eric Borba, age 5, (-41.78 sec., free), Daryn Edgar, age 5, (-23.31 sec., back), Hunter Conrad, age 5, (-16.28 sec., back), Brookelyn Gutierrez, age 5, (-13.93 sec., back), and Quade Castaneda , age 4, (-11.68 sec., back).  

First place finishers:

Ages 7-8 

Rosemary Chapman – freestyle, butterfly

Caleb Brumley – freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke

Hannah Anderson – backstroke

Enrique Gomez – butterfly

Lauren Parnell – breaststroke

Lauren Parnell, Lannah Martin, Rosemary Chapman, Hannah Anderson – girls freestyle relay

Moses Bower, Enrique Gomez, Brock Fleischman, Caleb Brumley – boys freestyle relay

Hannah Anderson, Marie LoBue, Lauren Parnell, Rosemary Chapman – girls medley relay

Caleb Brumley, Moses Bower, Enrique Gomez, Brock Fleischman – boys medley relay

Ages 9-10 

Hailey Scott – freestyle, backstroke

Steven Chapman – freestyle, IM, butterfly

Grant Snyder – backstroke 

Madison Bower – IM

Brianna Likewise – butterfly 

Isabel LoBue – breaststroke

Jeffrey Scheer – breaststroke 

Brianna Likewise, Bryn Short, Isabel LoBue, Hailey Scott – girls freestyle relay

Steven Chapman, Eric Dodd, Clayton Dignam, Jeffrey Scheer – boys freestyle relay

Hailey Scott, Tristin Bennett, Brianna Likewise, Bryn Short – girls medley relay

Eric Dodd, Bradley Guelker, Steven Chapman, Jeffrey Scheer – boys medley relay

Ages 11-12  

Carly Innis – freestyle, IM, butterfly

Zack Acencio – freestyle, backstroke

Allyson Schultz – backstroke

Kyle Grissom – IM, butterfly, breaststroke

Mikayla Balangue – breaststroke 

Allyson Schultz, Carley Medrano, Sara Hann, Carly Innis – girls freestyle relay   

Kyle Grissom, Jacob Sandoval, Aaron Zike, Zack Acencio – boys freestyle relay 

Allyson Schultz, Carly Innis, Carley Medrano, Sara Hann – girls medley relay

Zack Acencio, A.J. Dodd, Kyle Grissom, Jacob Sandoval – boys medley relay

Ages 13-14

Mikayla Scheer – freestyle, IM, breaststroke

Caleb Parnell – freestyle, butterfly

Shannon Kaye – backstroke

Grant Innis – backstroke, IM

Gabbie Acencio – butterfly

Gregory Haas – breaststroke

Shannon Kaye, Kassidy Lane, Savannah Marquez, Mikayla Scheer – girls freestyle relay

Geoffrey Camarena, Hans Schalembier, Grant Innis, Caleb Parnell – boys freestyle relay

Savannah Marquez, Shannon Kaye, Kassidy Lane, Mikayla Scheer – girls medley relay

Hans Schalembier, Gregory Haas, Caleb Parnell, Geoffrey Camarena – boys medley relay

 Ages 15-18

Amanda Kaye – 100-yard freestyle

Patrick Burns – 100-yard freestyle, backstroke

Alexandria Bernard – 50-yard freestyle 

Logan McAllister – 50-yard freestyle, IM 

Bailey Likewise – backstroke, butterfly

Shiloah Gibson – IM, breaststroke

Andrew Pugh -- butterfly 

Titus Moore – breaststroke

Alexandria Bernard, Mercedes Lisenbery, Bailey Marquez, Shiloah Gibson – girls freestyle relay

Logan McAllister, Jake Watson, Jared Ennis, Titus Moore – boys freestyle relay

Bailey Marquez, Amanda Kaye, Shiloah Gibson, Alexandria Bernard – girls medley relay

Andrew Pugh, Titus Moore, Logan McAllister, Jake Watson – boys medley relay