Christian Britton breaks LaFlamme’s record at Southern Section Swim Meet

Christian Britton is poised to make a splash at the Sac-Joaquin Section Swimming Championships.

That much was confirmed over the weekend at the Southern Section Swim Meet at B. Bohlender Aquatic Center at Johansen High School.

Britton was one of three swimmers to win multiple events and the only one to set a meet record. The Gregori High senior broke an 8-year-old mark in the 200-yard freestyle, taking aim at an old club teammate.

The Southern Section Swim Meet was just that: a 15-team invitational that allowed 500 swimmers in the southern half of the section to gauge their speed and fitness heading into the postseason.

“Right now, it’s a good gauging point to see where we’re at as a team and where I’m at as an individual,” Britton said. “For me, there were a lot of records I saw that I thought were obtainable, and I wanted to see if I could go after them.”

League championships will be staged throughout the Stanislaus District the final Friday and Saturday in April. The section swim championships are May 12-14 at Tokay High School in Lodi. The top three in each event at sections qualify for the second annual CIF State Swim and Dive Championships at the Clovis West Aquatics Complex on May 20-21.

Britton came close to earning a state berth last spring, finishing fifth in the 200 individual medley at sections. He woke up the morning of the meet with the flu and was never at his best physically.

“That was a tough weekend. I learned a lot of lessons,” he said. “I’ve just approached this season with a different outlook. I’ve been training with my training partner Scott Tolman (of Sierra, also the reigning All-District Swimmer of the Year), and we go hard every day.”

Britton, a Cal Baptist commit, carries the momentum of a record swim into his final postseason.

The Gregori boys edged Modesto Metro Conference rival Downey 263-258 for the team title, buoyed by the Britton brothers, Christian and Andrew. Enochs was third (187.5) and Pitman fourth (184).

Christian Britton won the 100 butterfly in 50.5 seconds and then set a record pace in the 200 freestyle, breaking a mark set in 2008 by Beyer’s David LaFlamme, a two-time section champion. Britton touched the wall in 1:40.67, a full second faster than LaFlamme’s old standard. Britton said he idolized LaFlamme when both were members of Ripon Aquatics.

“I was shooting for that as a goal time, and I was happy to get that,” Britton said. “I used to train with David when I was younger. He was part of that first wave with Ripon Aquatics. I looked up to him, so I wanted to go after those (events).”

Britton won’t get caught looking ahead, but his mind and body are peaking at the right time. The record proves that.

“It certainly gives me confidence,” he said. “For me, it’s about trusting my coaches and staying the course.”

Andrew Britton also was a double winner Saturday, savoring five-second victories in the 200 individual medley (1:57.48) and 100 breaststroke (58.58).

Other individual winners included Aidan Wong of Gregori in the 100 backstroke (58.0), James Berry of Beyer in the 500 free (5:08.54), Caden Nord of Oakdale in the 100 freestyle (49.9) and Kyle White of Downey in the 50 freestyle (22.04).

Pitman ran away with the girls title, distancing itself from the pack with 341 points. Enochs (287) was second, followed by Turlock (252) and Beyer (185).

Sonora’s Sammie Slater highlighted the action with victories in the 200 freestyle (1:59.31) and 100 backstroke (1:02.17). Slater was the only swimmer to finish in under two minutes in the 200 free.

In each event, she was pushed by Enochs’ Alexis Maudlin, who was third in the 200 freestyle (2:09.92) and second in the 100 backstroke (1:04.5).

Other individual winners included Sarah Phillips of Turlock in the 100 breaststroke (1:11.79), Annika Jasek of Pitman in the 500 freestyle (5:34.84), Karmen Hulin of Beyer in the 100 freestyle (57.77), Bailey Hamilton of Beyer in the 100 butterfly (1:03.84), Julia Pata of Ceres in the 50 freestyle (26.11) and Emma Magnussen of Oakdale in the 200 individual medley (2:19.5).

Pitman swept the diving competitions. Reigning All-District Diver of the Year Natasha Sondeno accumulated 428 points, while teammate Josh Hamby won with 314.25 points.

This story was originally published April 18, 2016 at 12:27 PM with the headline "Christian Britton breaks LaFlamme’s record at Southern Section Swim Meet."