Mt. Carmel Boys, Rancho Buena Vista Girls Swim to Titles

As a wee lad, Scot Frontis was just another Scott.

“There must have been about seven other Scotts in first grade,” Frontis recalled. “So, to make it easier on the teacher, we dropped the ‘T.’ ”

In a swimming pool, where everyone looks alike, Frontis again has separated himself from his peers--this time in the San Diego Section championships at Mt. Carmel High School Saturday.

The senior from Valhalla set a section mark--one of four on the day--in winning the 100-yard butterfly (50.77 seconds), and he also won the 200 intermediate medley (1:53.40).

The victories helped Valhalla’s boys finish in second place. Which is about the best that teams other than Mt. Carmel can do. The defending champion, led by Olympic trials qualifier Lars Jorgensen, finished 63 points ahead of Valhalla for its seventh title in 13 years.

Rancho Buena Vista won the girls’ title, beating University City by 11 points. University City appeared to be en route to victory, but officials ruled that one of its entrants started too early during the day’s final race, the 400 relay. Rancho Buena Vista itself had lost points when a swimmer was disqualified in the preliminaries.

Last year’s girls’ winner, Poway, was fourth, and Mt. Carmel finished sixth, its lowest finish in nine years.

Of Frontis and Jorgensen, who next year will be on swimming scholarships at Tennessee and USC, section records were expected.

By virtue of her performance Saturday, Alison Terry may warrant phenomenal expectations.

Competing in her first section championship, the University of San Diego High freshman set two section records while beating two national-caliber swimmers.

Terry, a 100-pound 14-year-old, beat Heather Merten of Mt. Carmel and also broke Merten’s section mark to win the 50 freestyle in 24.09. Not a huge upset. Terry beat Merten in April’s Junior Nationals in North Dakota.

Then came the 100 freestyle, in which University City junior Becky Shelton, who finished in the top 10 in three junior national events as a sophomore, seemed the favorite.

“I figured if I could stay with Becky, I could break the section record,” Terry said. “I was stoked.”

The two matched strokes until about halfway through the race. Then Terry broke away to win in 58.55.

Both times were personal bests for Terry, who credited her success to a strong mental approach and Coach John Weckler.

Terry was accompanied by Michelle Butcher of Granite Hills in the double-winner circle. Butcher, a junior, won the 200 individual medley (2:07.2) and the 500 freestyle (4:49.64) but fell short of the section marks, including hers set earlier this year in the 500 (4:48.44).

Even if the meet offered less prestige than the Olympic trials, which will be be Aug. 3-8 in Austin, Tex., Jorgensen seemed fired to end his high school career strongly.

He swam a personal-best and section-record 1:39.89 in the 200 freestyle and also won the 500 in 4:29.62, which was 5.62 off his best. And he helped Mt. Carmel win the 400 relay.

Jorgensen and his brother Dan, a sophomore at USC, will compete in the 400- and 1,500-meter events at the trials. Only the top two will make the team.