Damien’s Carter Attains Goals — and Then Some

Some elite swimmers consider the Southern Section championships to be small potatoes, an event for which they may not even bother to shave or taper.

For La Verne Damien senior Michael Carter, it was the most important meet of the year.

Carter used the Division I finals as his showcase with personal-best times in the 100-yard and 200-yard freestyle races, setting school records while winning both events in addition to anchoring two relay teams that set school records on May 13 at Belmont Plaza in Long Beach.

“My goal the whole year was to win at CIF, and I thought I had a pretty realistic shot at it,” Carter said. “So it’s really satisfying that I was able to have a goal, and then actually able to do it too.”

Carter accomplished his goal with flash and flair, clocking 45.35 seconds in the 100 freestyle and 1:39.08 in the 200, as well as helping the Spartans win the 200-freestyle relay in 1:24.88 — just shy of the meet record of 1:24.12 by San Marino in 1991 — and place second behind Mission Viejo in the 400-freestyle relay in 3:07.88.

Carter, The Times’ boys swimmer of the year, helped Damien finish runner-up to Mission Viejo in the Division I team standings.

“As the season went on, we became more and more sure that we were going to be able to do something pretty special, and Michael was definitely someone we counted on,” Coach Andrew Gates said. “If I needed a win for the team, I could have put him in any event and he’d win it.”

Carter, in fact, never lost an individual race this season and his performances were key as the Spartans won an invitational at Walnut in March and placed second in the Long Beach Wilson Invitational in April.

Carter, who will swim at Princeton next season, helped the Spartans improve on a third-place finish in the Division I finals in 2004. His victory in the 200 freestyle — the second of 11 events — got them off to a quick start.

“I knew then and there that I was going to have a great meet,” Carter said. “My confidence was off the wall, and I just knew — I knew — it was going to be a great day.”

It wasn’t a bad season either.

FIRST TEAM

Kevin Kuga, Dos Pueblos Jr. 50 freestyle

Only Division I swimmer to finish50 freestyle in under 21 seconds(a lifetime-best 20.78), he wasrunner-up to Carter in 100.

Michael Carter, Damien Sr. 100 and 200 freestyle

Swimmer of the year won DivisionI titles with personal bests of45.35 seconds and 1:39.08,respectively, for the top timesin any division.

Scott Spansail, San Clemente Sr. 500 freestyle, 100 backstroke

Defended Division I title with atime of 4:22.56 in 500 freestyle,nearly five seconds faster thanin 2004, and, besides Carter, wasdivision’s only other doublewinner.

Patrick Simpkins, Crespi Jr. 100 butterfly

Time of 50.08 was a lifetime bestby two seconds and good enoughfor Division I title afterfifth-place finish last year.

John Criste, Saugus So. 100 breaststroke

Division I winner finished in56.06 and already has 2008Olympic trials qualifying timesin both long-coursebreaststrokes.

Collin Gladys, Esperanza So. 200 individual medley

Won event in 1:52.38, a slowertime than he had when he finishedsecond last season.

Mission Viejo 200 medley relay

(Nick Divan, Sr.; Andrew Godbe,So.; Daniel Owens, Jr.; ScottSorge, Jr.) Improved onpreliminary time by nearly 1 1/2seconds to win Division I titlein 1:36.22.

Damien 200 freestyle relay

(Daniel Perdew, Sr.; StevenDonohoe, Sr.; David Fahey, Sr.;Michael Carter, Sr.) Core groupwon Division I race in 1:24.88, aschool-record time that was justoff meet record of 1:24.12.

Mission Viejo 400 freestyle relay

(Scott Sorge, Jr.; Nick Divan,Sr.; Andrew Godbe, So.; DanielOwens, Jr.) Foursome played a keyrole as Diablo boys won theirfirst team title since 2003 andtheir 23rd since 1975.

Dwight Dumais, Buena Sr. 1-meter diving

Last of the Dumais siblingsproved the most prolific bywinning his second Division Ititle in a row and third in fouryears.

Coach of the Year: Genevieve Barrow, Murrieta Valley

Guided freshman son Evan Barrow and rest of the Nighthawks’ boys’ team to their fourth consecutive Division III championship and led senior daughter Bridget Barrow and the rest of the girls’ team to their second Division III title in a row.

SECOND TEAM

DEREK HINGEVELD, La Serna Sr. 50 freestyle

SEAN BOYLE, Murrieta Valley Sr. 100 and 200 freestyle

NICK DIVAN, Mission Viejo Sr. 500 freestyle

SAM DANH, Westminster Sr. 100 butterfly

SCOTT CLARY, Riverside Poly So. 100 backstroke

PAUL ZAICH, St. Margaret’s Sr. 100 breaststroke

KYLE SMITH, Corona So. 200 individual medley

STEVEN STARKS, Mission Viejo So. 1-meter diving

200 medley relay

Edison (Adam Jones Sr.; Kevin Celinder, Sr.; Josh Knight, Sr.; Damien Bernard, Sr.)

200 free relay

Mater Dei (Robert Hansen, Sr.; Matt Rubio, Sr.; Andrew Simo, Sr.; Patrick White, Fr.)

400 free relay

Damien (Daniel Perdew, Sr.; David Fahey, Sr.; Alex Verdegem, So.; Michael Carter, Sr.)