The Santa Barbara High girls swim team held off a spirited comeback by Carpinteria and held on for an 85-84 victory in a down-to-the-wire meet at the Carpinteria Municipal Pool on Tuesday.
The boys’ competition was also close, with Santa Barbara pulling out a 92-78 win.
Santa Barbara built a nine-point lead in the girls meet after taking first and third in the 200 freestyle relay.
Carpinteria won the final three events, but Santa Barbara scored a critical point with a fourth-place finish in a race, and that proved to be the difference.
The Dons got two wins from Abby Webber in the 200 and 500 freestyle in season-best times. Layla Szymczak won the 100 butterfly and finished second in the 100 individual medley.
Also for the Dons, Addie Sweeney placed second in the 100 free and 100 breaststroke, JV call-up Lana Lilienstein was runner-up in the 50 free and Ella Maclear finished third in the 200 free and 100 backstroke.
Junior Erin Otsuki and freshman Giulia Piccoletti were the big point producers for Carpinteria. Otsuki won the 100 free in a personal best of 54.84 and captured the 100 back in 1:00.42. Both times were CIF-SS Division 3 automatic qualifying marks.
Otsuki also was part of winning 200 medley and 400 free relay teams. She teamed with Piccoletti, Taylor Classen and Piper Clayton to set a school record and a near-automatic qualifying time in the 200 medley relay. The same quartet clocked a season-best of 3:57.73 in the 400 free relay.
Piccoletti recorded personal best and CIF consideration times in winning the 100 breast (1:16.54) and 200 IM (2:28.54).
Lilli Nemetz of the Warriors won the 50 free in 27.86.
The Santa Barbara boys got a pair individual wins from Sean O’Brien in the 100 and 200 free. He also swam on two winning relays.
Evan Encell-O’Hara took first in the 100 fly, was second in the 50 free and was part of two first-place relays. Jaxon Burford took a tight 200 IM, winning by two-tenths of a second, and finished third in the 100 breast. Jerrard Burford was second in the 200 free and third in the 100 free.
Carpinteria got individual event wins from Matthew Lamberti (50 free in 22.84), Eli Sheaffer (5:39.48 in the 500 free), Augie Sheaffer (1:02.47 in the 100 back) and Jackson Melton (1:07.84 in the 100 breast).
The team of Asher Smith, Melton, Augie Sheaffer and Lamberti took first place in the 200 medley relay.
In the 400 free relay, the Warriors’ quartet of Smith, Eli Sheaffer, Lamberti and Justin Main recorded its fastest time of the year (3:29.63) but was edged out of first place by four-tenths of a second.