SSC stars lead MBA to victory

Marianas Baptist School has more than the protestant work ethic to thank for in its rampaging win in the high school division of last Saturday’s 2004 All Schools Swimming Championships at the Kan Pacific Swimming Pool.

Stan Good, the swim coach of the Dandan high school, is not ashamed to admit that Marianas Baptist won because of its constellation of stars from the Saipan Swim Club.

He said having more than a handful of national swimmers didn’t hurt the school’s chances and he was glad that his prediction before the All Schools came true.

Good, who serves as the assistant coach of the SSC, also said chemistry among the swimmers was also a deciding factor in the win.

“The core group of Natasha [Good], Myana [Welch], Nina [Mosley], and Nicole [Calvo] have been together for over five years now. They also got a few other kids to join them and [that] helped MBA get this award. The girls plus Juan [Camacho] and Efrain [Camacho] are all on the swim team, ensuring several first-place finishes. The other kids helped make points even though they finished further back in the pack,” he said.

For the record, swimmers from Marianas Baptist won 10 events in the 18-and-under division and also finished runner-up in four others.

Mosley, Camacho, and Calvo won two events each, while Good and Efrain Camacho both had second-place finishes to go along with their first place finishes. Welch, meanwhile, came up with two runner-up swims coming back from injury.

Mosley took the tape in both the girl’s 200m and 400m freestyle events. Juan Camacho was first in the boy’s 200m individual medley and the boy’s 100m backstroke.

Calvo touched the tile first in both the girl’s 100m freestyle and the girl’s 100m backstroke. Efrain Camacho came in first in the boy’s 200m freestyle and was runner-up in the boy’s 100m breastroke.

Good won the girl’s 100m butterfly and was second only to Mosley in the girl’s 400m freestyle, while Welch was second best in both the girl’s 50m freestyle and girl’s 100m breastroke.

Marianas Baptist then crowned their dominating performance by sweeping the girl’s and boy’s 200m freestyle relays.

“Obviously, Nina, Juan, and Nicole had the most impressive swims. Myana is coming back after two years recovering from a shoulder injury and Natasha is coming back after an absence from swimming. Both Myana and Natasha are showing a lot of promise,” coach Good added.

He reiterated that he knew all along Marianas Baptist had what it takes to bring home the bacon and he’s mighty proud his kids did it.

“I had no doubts that Marianas Baptist would win with the kids at the school. There we no time off or any As [after the All Schools], but the kids do get a lot of satisfaction and a write-up in the paper. I think the school spirit is lifted and parents like their kids to go to a school that excels in sports as well as [in] academics.”