Samo swim team starts the season strong with meet wins

Leona Jones / Contributor

Samo’s swim team kicked off their season after their Intrasquad Meet on Feb. 20, setting the tone for a competitive spring campaign. The early race allowed swimmers to establish baseline times and evaluate relays before facing outside competition. The team won their first meet against Venice High School and Cleveland High School on Feb. 25. 

Last season, Samo sent 19 swimmers to the CIF Southern Section Division II playoffs where girls’ swimming won the Division II championship. There, students competed in individual and relay events, marking one of the program’s strongest postseason showings in recent years. The girls’ varsity team finished third at the Bay League Championships, while the boys placed fifth. Multiple school records were broken over the course of the season, particularly on the girls side.

Gabriella Brito (’28), broke school and league records in the 200 Individual Medley and 50 Freestyle at Bay League. Daniela Petran (’25), set school records in the 200 Freestyle, 100 Freestyle and 100 Breaststroke. The girls team also established new marks in the 200 Freestyle Relay, 400 Freestyle Relay and 200 Medley Relay. Head coach Matthew Flanders has good expectations going into the season.

“We are looking forward to a strong swim season. We have more swimmers this year and more quality swimmers as well. It should be a fun season,” Flanders said.

The team’s energy is high, and with multiple away games lined up over the next month, students are ready to get to CIFs. Varsity swim team captain Leona Jones (’26) described what the team’s goals are moving into the season.

“I’m excited to see what’s going to happen in the upcoming meets… I feel like we all cheer each other on, coming into the wall everyone’s screaming, ‘You got this, go!’ and the competitiveness of our team as a whole, we just build each other up,” Jones said.

The Vikings have their next home meet on Apr. 16 against Mira Costa High School.