Piranha Swimmers Compete in First Ever SoCal Club Team Championships

Members of the Coachella Valley-based Piranha Swim Team competed over the weekend in the inaugural Southern California Swimming Club Team Championships hosted by the Rose Bowl Aquatics Club, their coach said Tuesday.

Piranha swimmers placed ninth in the Girls Team Division and 14th in Overall Team scoring, in the overall event that included 64 teams from across Southern California, Piranha head coach Jeff Conwell said.

"I'm very proud of the way our swimmers were able to rise to the occasion," Conwell said. "The Piranha swimmers took the fact seriously that we were the only team in the Coachella Valley at the meet and we needed to represent our community in a way that shows this is where great athletes are developed."

Among Piranha Swim Team top performers at the championships were:

Kelli Andrade, age 11, a 6th-grade at John Glenn Middle School, raced in the 11-12 division, and earned a Bronze Medal in the 50 breast stroke, Conwell said.

Faith Travis, a junior at Palm Springs High School, made three championship finals - 400 Individual Medley 6th, 200 backstroke 8th, and the 1000 freestyle 7th - and finished 5th in the 100 backstroke, Conwell said.

Indira Ceranic, as enior at Palm Desert High School, earned top 8 finishes in the 200 backstroke, 100 freestyle, and 200 freestyle, Conwell said.

"This meet truly was a showcase of the best swimmers in Southern California swimming and we showed that we belong right there with them," Conwell said. "When a team like the Piranhas bring the best local talent together to train, great things happen."

The event was staged Feb. 16, 17 and 18 at the East Los Angeles College aquatics center, Conwell said.

The Piranha Swim Team's recent successes at the USA Swimming Sectional Championships and the Southern California Swimming Junior Olympics earned the team a spot at the Southern California Swimming Club Team Championships, Conwell said.

The Piranha Swim Team trains in Palm Springs, Indio and Palm Desert. For more information, visit www.piranhaswimteam.org.

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