The biggest swimming meet ever staged at Brownsville’s Margaret M. Clark Aquatic Center came down to the final event, and then even a little more.
The Pre-Regional Showcase attracted a record 838 swimmers and divers representing 43 teams to the two-day meet with the finals held Saturday.
It appeared McAllen Rowe’s girls and Tuloso-Midway’s boys were going to be team champions, even after the last two events, which were the 400 freestyle relays for boys and girls. But then points from the diving results were figured into the team totals, and just like that McAllen Memorial’s boys and girls emerged as team champions, thanks to a late surge and their showing in the diving.
“We did really well toward the end of the meet because we have good backstrokers, good breaststrokers and good 400 freestyle relayers,” McAllen Memorial coach Timothy Nelson said. “This kind of showing just keeps our momentum going. We’re getting stronger and stronger with each meet.
“I would just like to say ‘Go Mustangs,’ and we’ll see everyone at district and regionals (in January and February),” Nelson added.
The Region VIII-6A Meet is scheduled for Feb. 3-4 at the Clark Aquatic Center.
The T-M boys and Memorial girls were defending team champions of the Pre-Regional Showcase.
The Memorial boys won Saturday with 270 points. T-M was second with 227. Corpus Christi Ray and Los Fresnos came next with 180 and 178 points, respectively.
This time around, the Memorial girls won with 238 points ahead of Rowe with 207 and Corpus Christi King with 183.
“We definitely know where we’re at after this meet, and we know we have some improving to do before the District (30-6A) Meet in a few weeks,” Rowe coach Amy Gallegos said. “I’m really proud of my team, and especially my girls. They’ve been doing a great job all season. They’ve been working hard.
“We know it’s going to be difficult (in district and regionals) because there are many great teams and a lot of talent all over the Valley,” Gallegos added. “We’ll just have to see how everything shakes out at the end.”
Hanna’s girls were fourth with 177 points.
“I feel really good about how our team performed in this meet,” Hanna coach Sam Perez said. “We had quite a few personal best times. Our girls relays are looking solid. There are just a few things we have to tweak, like our starts and takeoffs, and just work on technique a little bit to have better times.
“I’m encouraged about what’s ahead,” Perez added. “We’re just keeping our eyes on the big picture, which is the state meet, We’re excited about district (in January) and we’re excited about regionals (in February) and everything, but what we really want is to get some of our girls to state.”
One of the meet’s individual event double-winners was Hanna’s Maya Athena Imperial. The standout senior and past state qualifier posted first-place finishes in the 200 individual medley and the 500 freestyle. Imperial also swam on two second-place relays with Gloria Orta, Nadia Gutierrez and Natalia Davila.
Other double-winners for the girls were King’s Elle Boyd in the 200 freestyle and 100 butterfly, and Rowe’s Ina Te in the 50 and 100 freestyles. Te also swam on relays that finished first and second for Rowe.
The only double-winner of an individual event for the boys was Corpus Christi Ray’s Ryan Chang, who captured firsts in the 50 and 100 freestyles.
Helping Memorial to its team titles at the meet were Ruben Trevino, first in the boys 500 freestyle; Caden Garza, second in the boys 200 freestyle; Patricia Roch de Murga, third in the girls 1-meter diving; Avia Guerra, third in the girls 100 butterfly; and Stacia Benitez, second in the girls 100 backstroke.
Additional Metro-area swimmers finishing in the top three in individual events on Saturday included St. Joseph Academy’s Jessie Hainley, second in the girls 50 freestyle and third in the 100 freestyle; Lopez’s Thadey Diaz, second in girls 3-meter diving; Brownsville Veterans’ Adrian Fierro, third in the boys 50 and 100 freestyles; and Los Fresnos’ Carlos Paredes, third in the boys 500 freestyle.
Roy Hess covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @HessRgehess