DOWNEY - The Warren High School girls' swim team currently has a 5-0 overall record and 1-0 league record. Warren finished a perfect 8-0 overall last year and were league champions at 3-0.Warren defeated Gahr last week in their opening league meet with many standout performers out due to illness. A few weeks back, Warren defeated Cerritos in a non-league meet. Many Lady Bears swam well at that meet and swam great races. This week the Lady Bears swam against Millikan High School of Long Beach (scores unavailable at press time). Coach Cordero believes swimming against Long Beach area schools is a good challenge because that area is a "hotbed" for swimming and produces many of the area's best collegiate swimming prospects. The Lady Bears are returning several key swimmers from last year. Star Meza, Destiny Hernandez, Kayla Casas, Ivana Castro, Daniela Flores and Kelly Tovalin all return with more skill and speed. Key losses from last year's team include butterflyer and sprint freestyler Saree Waugh. The biggest surprise for the Lady Bears this season has been Destiny Hernandez. Hernandez has added some new events to her line up and is competing very well. Coach Cordero also believes Alexis Huerta and Celeste Moreira have done a nice job early on this year with their swimming. Huerta and Moreira have already dropped significant times from their fastest times from last year. The Lady Bears will be challenged in league by Gahr, who has excellent sprinters, and Downey, who represents the always tough crosstown rival. Coach Cordero maintains that this is the deepest team Warren has had in a long time. Many girls have added new events, coupled with the additions of standout freshmen Kim Shepard, Valerie Orozco and Brittany Baron, Warren has added great versatility to their lineups. With such quality competition in practice, Coach Cordero maintains, everyone swims fast and the fastest lineup for C.I.F. is formed. Coach Cordero said that Warren has qualified a dozen girls for C.I.F. and are only at the midpoint of their season. Cordero is looking to add another three to four girls to that already impressive number of qualifiers. Coach Cordero concluded by saying that Warren has the potential to place in the top eight of events- both in the individual events and the relays.

********** Published: April 5, 2012 - Volume 10 - Issue 51