The Windsor High School swim team served notice of great things to come on Saturday in a preseason meet at Santa Rosa Junior College, logging a strong collective performance.
Although there were no individual results available, the varsity boys finished fifth at the meet, while the varsity girls were 11th. In the JV team competition, Windsor girls took third while the boys were ninth.
Considering it was the first meet of the season, the Windsor brain-trust was more than pleased by their team’s overall effort.
“Our meet went really well and the coaches couldn’t be prouder,” head coach Kelli Wong said, citing a big roster of 46 kids. “It was a great time meet to build skills, team spirit and confidence. We had swimmers’ families, friends and grandparents in the stands supporting the Jag’s swim team.”
The Jaguars figure to be among the upper echelon in the newly realigned North Bay League, returning a strong nucleus of veterans, along with several talented newcomers.
Heading the list of varsity returnees are junior NBL champion Connor Wong (100 butterfly, 200 IM, 200 freestyle and 400 freestyle relay), junior Justin Hume (200 IM, 100 breaststroke, 200 medley relay, 200 freestyle relay), junior Jared Boettger (50 freestyle, 100 freestyle) and junior Sam Ampuero (200 freestyle, 100 backstroke).
Returning athletes for the varsity girls included junior Riley West (100 butterfly), junior Julie Glarner (medley relay, 50 freestyle, 100 breaststroke, 200 freestyle relay), junior Gianna Lowery (100 backstroke, 50 freestyle) and Solana Jolly (200 freestyle, 500 freestyle).
Windsor will be bolstered by a solid group of first-year varsity athletes that feature junior Sophia Romero, sophomores Anna Whiteley and Heather Lazzarini and freshmen Taylor Reese and Justice Toupin.
The team also has an international flavor this season with foreign exchange students Julie Glarner (France), Charlotte Huster (Germany) and Emilia Ahn (Austria).
Team captains are Ampuero, Jolly and senior Morgan Miller. Terry Wong is the assistant coach.
The Jaguars will be back in the pool on March 5 (after press time) in a dual meet against Ukiah.
