The Mission Viejo girls’ swim team lost...

The Mission Viejo girls’ swim team lost one of its top swimmers when Katrina Trhska quit to concentrate on tennis. She returned to her native country of Monaco last month.

Trhska, who would was a senior, swam for the Mission Viejo Nadadores, a club team, as well as the Diablos. She had been a promising age-group tennis player before coming to Mission Viejo.

Last season, Trhska finished sixth in the 200- and 500-yard freestyle events at the Southern Section 4-A championship meet.

“I really couldn’t tell you for sure why she left,” Diablo Coach Jan Most said. “I think she’s had enough of swimming and decided to go back to tennis.”

Trhska’s departure was the third blow suffered by the Diablos, the two-time defending 4-A champions.

Most already had lost Shona Baille, who returned to Canada to get ready for the Olympics. The Canadian Olympic trials fall on the same weekend as the Southern Section meets. Baille won the 100 butterfly and finished third in the 200 individual medley at the 4-A meet last season.

The Diablos will also be without Claudia Franco, who had to transfer Capistrano Valley when district boundaries were redrawn. The Franco family, which is from Spain, now lives within the Capistrano Unified School District.

Barbara Franco, also a talented swimmer, was allowed to continue at Mission Viejo because she was a senior. But Claudia, a junior, was forced to go to Capistrano Valley.

Last season, Claudia Franco won the the 50 freestyle and was second in the 100 freestyle at the 4-A meet. She has decided not to continue her high school career and will concentrate on getting ready for Spain’s Olympic trials.