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Coach of the Year: Steve Baxter
School: Clovis West
He’s qualified because: Kept the Central Section’s longest running dynasty rolling by leading the Golden Eagles to their 13th straight girls section title.
Team rolled up 425.50 points, keyed by section-record breaking swims by Baxter’s daughter, Tristin, in the 500 free and by the Golden Eagles’ 200 free and 400 free relay teams.
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2007 Girls All-Star Swim Team
Steve Baxter presides over a Clovis West High swimming program that has no equal in the Central Section.
He does so with a meticulousness that leaves no detail unaccounted for, no motivational button unpushed and no apologies.
“I’m pretty fanatical about it,” Baxter said. “I’m a competitive person. It’s not that I can’t stand losing, I just like trying to figure out how to win.”
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Mackenzie Schuler
Vitals: Clovis West, sophomore, 200 free, 100 free, 200 free relay, 400 free relay
She's qualified because: Swam an All-America consideration time of 1:52.36 while placing third in the 200 free at the section finals.
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2009 Girls Swimming & Diving All-Star Team
The perfectionist in Tristin Baxter comes out quickly when discussing her accomplishments at the Central Section swimming and diving championships.
“I’m happy with what I did, but it would have been nice if I could have been a little faster in the 200 [free] and 500 [free],” Baxter said. “I wanted to break 1:50 in the 200 and in the 500, I wanted to try and break 4:50.”
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Mariah Tharp
Vitals: Clovis West, junior, 50 free, 100 free, 200 free relay, 400 free relay
She's qualified because: Earned the second section individual title of her career by winning the 50 free (24.31). She was also second in the 100 free (52.54).
School: Clovis West
He’s qualified because: Kept the Central Section’s longest running dynasties rolling by leading the Golden Eagles to an 11th straight boys section title.
Team scored 322.50 points and featured a section record breaker in the 200 medley relay team.
He said it: “We have a record board at Clovis West that’s on the wall [in the school’s aquatics center] and we make a point of having kids recognize that. There’s not another school in California that has a record board close to that.
We want our swimmers to come back 20 years from now and tell their kids they were a part of that. It’s all about tradition and working hard and continuing that tradition. It’s a pride thing.” — Steve Baxter
Opposing take: “I don’t know of a coach who spends more time trying to figure out lineups and individual workouts for kids. It’s like he’s always on a caffeine high trying to figure out how to help people swim faster. But he still can’t hit a duck.” — Clovis coach, and Baxter’s hunting partner, Peter Tragitt
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