CdM’s Swigert has big need for speed

Chris Yemma

Melissa Swigert quit playing soccer in seventh grade to focus solely

on her running abilities.

The outcome of that sacrifice culminated May 5 at the Pacific

Coast League track and field championships, where the Corona del Mar

High senior captured the 200- and 400-meter crowns while also

contributing to the winning 400 and 1,600 relay teams.

But Swigert would gladly trade in those league crowns for the

jewelry bearing CIF logos. She begins her quest today in the CIF

Southern Section Division III preliminaries at Gahr, competing in the

200, 400 and both relays.

“I would like to be in the top three in the 200,” said Swigert,

who will be continuing her running career at Princeton in the fall.

“In the 400 I’m going to try to win CIF finals.”

The 400 poses a bit of conundrum for the 5-foot-9 sprinter -- it’s

her best event, yet her least favorite.

“I like the 100 and 200, but definitely not the 400,” she said. “I

like coming out of the blocks really hard and in the 400 you can’t

quite do that.”

Swigert clocked a personal best 55.95 seconds at the league finals

in the event, beating her old best by more than a second. She won the

200 in 25.82 and helped lead the Sea Kings to a third consecutive

league title.

Sprinting has always been the true athletic passion for the

senior.

Like giving up soccer in seventh grade, Swigert chose not to

participate in cross country this season in order to focus on her raw

speed. CdM Coach Bill Sumner is wary of attributing that to her

recent success, but Swigert is convinced of it.

“Last year I was getting the same times [in the sprinting events]

as I was in seventh grade,” she said. “Now I’ve been training for

track since November and I’ve gotten a lot stronger from doing speed

work.”

Sumner said he is hoping for Swigert to win the CIF title in the

200.

“Personally, I think she is good enough to win the 200,” Sumner

said. “Everything else is icing on the cake.”

Earlier this season, Swigert was part of a ground-breaking relay

team for CdM. The foursome of Swigert, Annie St. Geme, Hilary May and

Allison Damon broke a meet record and clocked what was then the

fastest time in the nation in the distance medley relay at the

Arcadia invitational.

Swigert ran the 400 leg of the relay, consisting of 1,200, 400,

800 and 1,600. She said she considers that her favorite athletic

moment.

If a CIF title was thrown in, she might have a new favorite.