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It's not exactly swimming weather. But despite the cold winter temperatures, the members of the West Valley Swim Club were in the pool last month, splashing to some rather impressive performances at the Pacific Swimming Age Group Championships and the Pacific Swimming Senior Short Course Championships.
The older West Valley swimmers finished fourth as a team at the short course meet held the week before Christmas in Carson City, Nev. The locals ran up 366 points to win the men's title in the meet, with the women fifth in their division with 203 points. The combined total left West Valley fourth overall in the 16-team field.
Taylor Smith, Fred Hwang, Liz Molzon and Connie Chang starred for West Valley in Carson City.
Smith was an individual champion in the 500-yard freestyle, and he added seconds in the 1,650 free, 1,000 free and 400 individual medley. The 14-year-old was third in both the 200 free and 200 backstroke and fourth in the 100 back.
Hwang, 14, was close behind Smith in three of the freestyle events. He was second in the 500 free and third in both the 1,650 and 1,000. Hwang was also fourth in the 200 butterfly and fifth in the 400 individual medley.
Molzon and Chang led the effort for the West Valley women. Molzon, 16, was third in the 100 breaststroke and sixth in the 200 breaststroke, and Chang, 13, was third in the 200 back and sixth in the 200 fly.
Rounding out the list of West Valley swimmers who scored in the meet were Lauren Woodrow, 14, Kristin Lee, 16, Dennis Chen, 14, Ryan Hinshaw, 13, Alvin Wong, 13, and Mitchell Hsing, 13.
A week earlier, West Valley finished fifth as a team in the age group championships held in Pacifica. The meet brought together the finest 14-and-under age group swimmers from Northern California and Nevada.
Smith, Ben Hinshaw and Megan Nolet each struck gold at the meet with individual victories.
Smith was first in the 1314 boys 1,000 and 1,650 free events, and B. Hinshaw, 11, was a winner in the 1112 boys 1,000 and 1,650. Nolet, 10, won the girls 10-and-under 50 breaststroke.
Winning medals for West Valley in the meet were Smith, B. Hinshaw, Nolet, Hwang, Will Havercroft, 10, David Kuo, 12, Erich Peske, 9, Hunter Pomeroy, 9, Trevor Stanbury, 10, Andrew Wu, 14, Adam Hinshaw, 9, Matt Murray, 11, Lindsay Oosterhouse, 10, Chase Pomeroy, 11, Connor Still, 10, and Michael Zhang, 10.
In all, West Valley swimmers had a rather impressive showing, according to head coach Norm Havercroft, including:
* 20 qualifying times for the Short Course Far Western Championships, which will be held in Pleasanton this spring;
* 45 Pacific Reportable Times, ranking the swimmers in the elite of the Pacific Association;
* Two National Reportable Times, ranking the swimmers in the top 16 in the nation in their age groups.
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Contributed photograph