The Sunnyvale Sun

Sports

Peters is an amateur standout, and a league diving champion

By Mike Barnhart

When Brian Peters was 9 years old, he gave swimming a try at the Santa Clara Swim Club. Although his older sister Brittany seemed to enjoy it, Brian quickly grew bored of doing laps. But whatever was happening over in the diving well sure looked like fun.

Sure enough, one diving lesson later, the swimming gig was history, and an aspiring diver was born. Now a ninth grader, Peters has developed into one of the west coast's best divers in the 14-15 age group.

Just a few days after winning silver and bronze medals at the USA Diving Junior Olympic West Nationals in Mission Viejo, Peters captured gold for Fremont High School.

Peters tallied 482.65 points for 11 dives from the 1-meter board and claimed first place at the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League's El Camino Division swimming and diving championship meet, May 1 at Homestead. Peters' total was more than 200 points better than the closest competition. Homestead senior Vikash Nandkeshwar placed third.

In the girls diving competition, Molly Hayes of Los Gatos edged Homestead's Christina La in the battle for first place. Hayes scored 499.35 and La finished with 472.80.

Peters, Hayes and La all will compete at the Central Coast Section championships May 19 at Stanford University's Avery Aquatics Center.

Peters "tuned up" for the El Camino meet by competing at the Spring Junior West Nationals, April 27-29, against 25 of the best male divers, ages 14-15, from west of the Mississippi River.

Representing Stanford Diving Club, Peters earned second place and the silver medal in the 1-meter event. His 333.50 points was a personal best effort for a nine-dive competition. Although he took third in the 3-meter competition, his nine-dive total of 358.40 points was just nine points behind the winner. Peters' performance at Mission Viejo qualified him for the British Elite Junior Nationals in Sheffield, England, May 29-June 1. Like most high schools, Fremont does not have a diving coach. So, Peters trains at Stanford under the tutelage of his long-time coach, Ryan Wallace, and competes in USA diving events as well as high school meets for Fremont. After nearly five years at the Santa Clara Diving Club, Peters transferred to Stanford last fall, when Wallace accepted a coaching position there.

Homestead swims to title

Senior Michelle Camburn and freshman Jesse Bergman won two events apiece, leading host Homestead's girls team to the El Camino Division swimming championship last Friday.

With seven first-place finishes, seven seconds and four thirds, the Mustangs cruised to victory with 578 points in the final meet prior to the CCS championships. Los Gatos was second with 375 points. Fremont, led by Julia Chen, finished third with 359. Cupertino (264) placed fourth, followed by Wilcox, Santa Clara and Milpitas.

Cupertino won the boys championship, edging Homestead 421-414. Los Gatos (268) was third, followed by Wilcox, Santa Clara, Fremont and Milpitas.

Camburn held off Fremont's Chen in the 200-yard individual medley, then led a Homestead sweep of the top three places in the 500 freestyle. Camburn clocked 2:16.16 in the IM, nearly a second faster than Chen's 2:17.02. In the 500, Camburn pulled away from the pack to win in 5:20.63. Junior teammate Kristy Peanasky was second in 5:36.61 and senior Emily Pool took third in 5:42.14.

Bergman finished first in the 100 free and the 100 backstroke, well ahead of the top challengers in each race. In the free, Bergman touched in 53.41 and Fremont's Ellen Umeda was third in 57.94. In the back, Bergman's 1:00.08 beat out Cupertino junior Nadia Basilio (1:06.8) and sophomore teammate Lisa Yao (1:07.83).

Freshman Anne Peanasky won the 200 free in 2:03.10, gradually pulling away from teammate and runner-up Jessica Lawrence (2:05.36) and third-place Umeda (2:07.11).

A. Peanasky (1:01.06) and Yao (1:03.84) finished second and third in the 100 butterfly. Fremont's Chen won the 100 breaststroke in 1:09.35, nearly a second better than Lawrence's second-place effort of 1:10.33. K. Peanasky (1:13.68) finished third.

Stephanie Kung of Homestead sprinted 26.49 for second place in the 50 free. Senior Joanna Dunham of Cupertino was third in 26.81.

Homestead and Fremont finished one-two in the freestyle relays. Homestead placed second and Cupertino was third in the medley relay. The Pioneers also were third in the 400 free relay.

Sophomore Paul Kim of Homestead was the only double winner in the boys portion of the meet, taking the 200 IM in 2:00.33 and the 100 free in 48.83. Other Homestead winners were junior Geovid Kali (22.15) in the 50 free, junior Kyle Hu (59.12) in the 100 back and the freestyle relays teams.

Junior Martin Chuang was the only Cupertino athlete to win a race, but the Pioneers used superior depth to claim the El Camino boys title. Seniors Derrik Jarvis (100 free) and Tim Lordan (100 butterfly) junior Brad Matsushita (100 back) and the freestyle relay teams all scored seconds for Cupertino.

Homestead junior Jeffrey Meadows placed second in the 100 breaststroke and third in the IM. The Mustangs medley relay team finished third.

Fremont's 200 free relay did not finish in the top three, but qualified for the CCS meet. Vlad Kozyrev, Matthew Amm, Evan Mahoney and Evan Kashi combined to swim 1:37.18, making the cut by just .01 of a second. Kashi placed third in the breaststroke.

Thivierge, Burke star

Junior James Thivierge and sophomore Kyle Burke of The King's Academy took part in four victories apiece at the Private Schools Athletic League swimming championships May 1 at Harker Academy.

Thivierge won the short freestyle sprints, churning 22.81 in the 50 and 50.65 in the 100, and swam legs of the winning medley and 200 free relays. Burke won the 100 backstroke in 59:05, led off the medley relay and swam second on both freestyle relays.