9-Year-Old Makes Local History

Though she did not place in the top three, Kayla Quinones of Imperial Beach made personal and local history last month.

Competing in the 2013 Junior Olympics Feb. 24 in Poway, the 9-year-old Imperial Beach Charter School student swam a 50-meter breaststroke in 43.22 seconds, a personal best, to qualify for the finals.

By qualifying for the final, she became the first swimmer in 18 years of Imperial Beach Swim Team history to qualify for a Junior Olympics final. She is one of seven IB Swim Team swimmers to make it to the USA Swimming Junior Olympics Meet, said Coach Susan Czerwiec.

Later that day she swam the same distance in 42.81, again beating her personal best, and finished in 14th place in the Girls 10 & Under division in San Diego and Imperial counties.

Family gave the determined young swimmer the nickname "The Dominator," Quinones told IB Patch in an interview last month.

Quionones will be back in the water with teammates this Sunday at the JO Max meet hosted by the Coronado Navy Swim Association at Coronado High School.

Brenna Pangelinan of South Bay Aquatics finished in 1st place in the Girls 10 & Under division. The South San Diego club finished overall in 3rd place.