Valente sets national record in the butterfly

Freshman Alex Valente swam the 100 yard butterfly in a time of 50.74 seconds, which makes him the fastest 14-and-under swimmer in that event nation-wide this year.

His race was the highlight of the Dos Pueblos swim teams’ dual meet against Buena, which the Chargers dominated.

Dos Pueblos blew the competition out of the water in their Channel League seasons, and both the boys and girls completed 4-0 sweeps after victories over Buena.

The girls won their meet 121-49 while the boys won 107-62.

The boys recorded several very impressive finishes. Valente, in addition to his record-setting performance in the butterfly, also won the 100 yard backstroke (55.01).

Grant Schroeder also won multiple events, taking the 100 yard freestyle (51.39) and the 100 yard breaststroke (104.54). Walker Bell also had an excellent performance, winning the 200 freestyle (150.72).

For the girls, the Chargers won every event and took second in all but one.

No individual records were set, as the swimmers are prepping for the Channel League Championships, which will take place on Tuesday and Thursday of next week at Buena.

“Everyone’s winding down and getting in to their taper to perform at their highest level next week,” head coach Kevin Kuga said.

The highlights on the day included Janelle Nguyen’s win in the 200 yard freestyle, Emily Swindle’s victory in the 50 freestyle, and Courtney Nuttall and Laurel Kistler, who won the 100 butterfly and the 100 freestyle, respectively.