SPRING ROUNDUP : Ramos Wins 3 Medals at Swim Finals

Garfield sophomore swimmer Martha Ramos led the girls’ varsity 200-yard freestyle team to a third-place finish at the City Section championship meet last week at Belmont Plaza in Long Beach.

Ramos clocked in at 27.82 in the first leg; teammates Maria Medrano, Laura Avila and Diane Jardon finished up for a time of 1:55.14. The same group finished sixth in the 400 freestyle relay with 4:20.73. Ramos also finished sixth in the 100-yard freestyle, clocking in at 1:01.23 to win her third medal of the meet. The 15-year-old entered the finals as the only inner-city swimmer to earn a seed for the varsity finals.

The first six seeds automatically earn medals. In the consolation finals, only the winner receives a medal as the seventh-place finisher.

Ramos’ other chance to win a medal was in the 200 medley relay where the team finished in eighth place, clocking in at 2:09.81. The Bulldogs’ time was better than Birmingham (2:10.38), but Birmingham took home the medal as the sixth-seeded team.

South Gate, Bell, Huntington Park, Roosevelt and Fremont each fielded teams at the City Finals on Wednesday, but none competed in varsity championship heats.

SOUTHERN SECTION FINALS

Loyola’s Ben Odell won the 200-yard freestyle and the 100 backstroke and assisted two relay teams to lead the Cubs to the boys’ Southern Section Division II championship last week at Belmont Plaza. The Cubs won with 217 points, outdistancing last year’s champions, Crescenta Valley, by 59 points. Harvard-bound Odell clocked in at 1:40.09 in the 200 freestyle and 51.72 in the 100 backstroke. Teammate Peter Baldwin won the 100 butterfly in 51.40.

SOFTBALL PLAYOFFS

Verdugo Hills 9, Roosevelt 0--The defending City Section 3-A Division champion Dons easily overpowered the Roughriders (16-6) in a semifinal game Tuesday. Roosevelt’s Liz Ballesteros gave up 11 hits.

“I felt like it (the loss) was all my fault,” said Ballesteros, who was named Southeastern Conference player of the year. “My arm gave out on me and I started to pitch slow.” The Dons (18-3) scored four runs in the fourth and fifth innings. Roughrider Jennifer Elizando got Roosevelt’s first hit in the bottom of the fifth with a single. Norma Zuniga’s single was Roosevelt’s only other hit.