Burroughs swimming’s Wilson improves, impresses at CIF finals
RIVERSIDE — Maya Wilson made the splash of all splashes as a freshman swimmer for Burroughs in 2017, winning a pair of Pacific League titles and advancing all the way to the CIF State Meet.
In her sophomore year, she battled a lingering illness that hampered her season and often times put a damper on things.
Still, Wilson, the 2017 All-Area Girls’ Swimmer of the Season, swam to an even better campaign in terms of times and results.
She capped that Saturday at the CIF Southern Section Division II Finals at the Riverside Aquatics Complex as she placed sixth in the 200-yard freestyle and seventh in the 500 free.
“I can’t be upset with them, but I’m also not amazed by them,” Wilson said of her swims. “It was an OK day.”
Wilson’s OK day saw her begin with a sixth-place finish in the 200 at 1 minute 51.02 seconds which was a state automatic qualifying time and ended it with a seventh-place mark of 5:01.93 in the 500 for state consideration.
Her 200 was also better than her prelims mark of 1:51.66 and an improvement in time and place from her ninth-grade year. As a freshman she was eighth in 1:52.67 (also a state mark).
In the grueling 500, Wilson, still not at 100%, came in as the No. 9 and final qualifier at 5:00.63. Her time of 5:01.93 wasn’t better, but her finish of seventh was. And each was a big improvement from her freshman marks of 16th overall in the consolation final at 5:07.89.
“Of course I’d like to go faster in both [races], but where I’m at right now, I don’t know if that’s possible,” Wilson said.
With AP testing coming up and preparation for the summer season at hand, Wilson is unlikely to make a return trip to the state meet.
Thus, her sophomore season as a whole was wildly successful as she once more won two Pacific League titles, continued to the CIF finals where she advanced to championship finals in both races rather than just the 200 and qualified for state.
Could it have been better? Maybe, but Wilson’s not looking back that way.
“It might’ve been better [if I wasn’t sick], but I try not to think what could’ve been,” she said. “It’s nice to know I’ve improved.”
Twitter: @TCNGrantGordon
