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Gators Go On The Road To Face Off With Turlock
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Oakdale Gator Jackson Hammond gets a high five from Coach Nate Van Cleave after completing an event during Saturdays swim meet at Pitman. Fellow Gators kept their feet in the pool as they tried to stay cool in between events. Teresa Hammond/The Leader

Oakdale’s youth swimming team, the Gators, hit the road this past weekend. The young swimmers packed up and visited Pitman High School in Turlock for a meet against the Turlock Aquatic Club. This was the Gators second meet of the year, and first on the road.

Standing out for the Gators were 10-year-old Maya Baza, who dropped her time in three events. Baza made improvements in the 50 meter freestyle, 50 meter fly and the 100 meter freestyle. Six-year-old Archer Sanders dropped time in the 25 meter backstroke.

Venturing into new events was Anna Nelson, competing in the 50 meter freestyle for the first time and performing well. Brooke Wheat earned a best time in the 50 meter freestyle event.

Oakdale will host meets on Saturday, July 8 and Saturday, July 22 with events scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. (subject to change) at the Oakdale Aquatic Center.