Gregori’s Britton buoyed by 500 freestyle win at Southern Section Championships

After undergoing surgery on his left shoulder last year to repair a torn labrum, Gregori High School’s Christian Britton wasn’t sure he’d be up to swimming in the 500-yard freestyle at next month’s Sac-Joaquin Section meet.

But not long after the event’s conclusion at Saturday’s 11th annual Southern Section Championships, Britton had his answer.

“I think I’m going to swim the 500,” the 5-foot-11, 185-pound junior said with a smile after an impressive victory over Merced’s Josh Fluetsch at Johansen’s B. Brent Bohlender Aquatics Facility. “This is a confidence booster, for sure.”

Britton, seeded No. 2 behind Fluetsch, finished in 4 minutes, 41.42 seconds, a second and a half ahead of the Merced swimmer (4:42.96). Not bad for a guy who missed the entire 2014 season due to an injury suffered during the 2013 water polo season.

“It was fun to talk to (Fluetsch) and to find out that we’re at the same point in our training,” said Britton, who also won the 200 individual medley (1:57.71) and will drop the 100 butterfly when the section meet rolls around. “It’ll be fun to work together at sections and not let those big, bad Sacramento kids beat up on us little guys.”

Fluetsch didn’t go home empty-handed. He turned in a dominant performance in the 100 free (48.73), beating Downey’s Severin Elste by more than a second (49.82). But the 500 free is his specialty.

“It definitely bugs me to lose,” Fluetsch said. “But it was a good race, and (Britton) is a really cool guy. If he’s better, then he deserves to win. And he was definitely better today.”

Britton may have been the better swimmer, but Fluetsch competed for the better team. The Bears clinched their sixth consecutive SSC title, while the Merced girls won their fifth in six years.

Merced’s boys blew away the field, outscoring second-place Pitman by 199 points (437-238). Oakdale (230) was third, followed by Downey (181) and Gregori (168).

The Merced girls finished with 397 points, 156 ahead of Pitman (241). Turlock (234) was third, followed by Enochs (199) and Modesto (190).

“We were pretty dominant,” Bears coach Kit Grattan said. “But don’t think for a minute that Pitman won’t come back to see if they can’t knock us off the top of the hill.”

How dominant was Merced? Of the 24 combined boys and girls swimming and diving events, the Bears won 15, including five of six relays, and finished second in five others and third in two others.

In addition to Britton’s victories, the only other Modesto swimmers to touch the wall first were freshman Andrew Britton – Christian’s younger brother – in the 100 breaststroke (1:01.7), Elste in the 50 free (22.26) and Enochs’ Alexis Mauldin in the girls 100 backstroke (1:04.84). Sonora’s Sammie Slater was the other non-Merced swimmer to secure a victory, taking the 200 free (2:01.46).

Pitman’s Josh Hamby won the boys diving competition (272.6 points), and Gregori’s Cammi Baumann was first on the girls’ side (306.55).

Merced girls Mireya Ortega (200 IM, 100 breast), Jande Monteon (50 free, 100 free) and Laurel Carpenter (100 fly, 500 free) were double winners, as was teammate Brandon Villegas (100 fly, 100 back) on the boys’ side.

This story was originally published April 18, 2015 at 6:32 PM with the headline "Gregori’s Britton buoyed by 500 freestyle win at Southern Section Championships."