On Friday March 15, the Campolindo varsity swim team left for their annual Mission Viejo Swimming & Diving Invitational held at Mission Viejo High School in Southern California. This year, Campo continued its winning streak by placing first overall after hours of races on Saturday. The girls team placed 1st and the boys team placed 3rd, with Campo also beating out rival Miramonte at the invitational.
Senior Michael Chu, who swam in the 500 free, 200 IM, and both freestyle relays, said “I was really happy with how I did in both relays and placed well in the 200 IM.” He also noted that him, senior Parker Smith, and senior Reid Lalli went second, third, and fourth in the men’s 200 IM to beat out the competition. Chu, who was sick during the time of the meet, added that despite illness, he was still able to race “almost to my best time”.
Junior Jewel Mendiola got sixth overall in the 50 Freestyle and swam in the 200 free relay where the girls got 2nd place. She added that while “everyone did really well” some standout swimmers that raced were sophomore Maddie Phan, sophomore Elise Gratton, freshman Calei Calica, and senior Natalie Bove.
Sophomore Lucy Kao also swam at the meet, where she competed in the 100 Breaststroke and 200 IM. Swimming in her second year on varsity, Kao felt she “did well in breaststroke” while her IM was “subpar”. However, Kao added that she enjoyed the meet more this year due to a beach trip the team took after the meet on Sunday to nearby Huntington Beach.
“We went to the pier and walked around for hours; it was really fun,” said Mendiola. Kao added that the team went “body surfing in the waves” which provided a relaxing activity after a day of constant racing.
As the swim season comes to a close in the coming weeks, Chu also reflected on what he and the team are most looking forward to. “We have senior night coming up in a few weeks and DAL and NCS.” He also pointed out that Campo hopes to once again compete at the 2024 CIF State Swimming Championships in early May where they’ve seen continued success, especially in the girls division.
