Sierra Vista senior finds herself

For many elite girls swimmers, the high school season often is viewed as a respite from the ultra-competitive club season.

But in the case of Sierra Vista senior Isabella Green, it also can help resurrect a once-promising career.

“High school swimming really got me back into things and made me find myself again,” she said. “I found all the fun in it without all the seriousness and all the pressure, which made me want to go back to being competitive.”

Green, whose love for the sport was rekindled during her freshman season with the Mountain Lions, hopes to secure her first career region title when the finals of the Division I-A Southern Region girls swimming and diving meet take place at 5:30 p.m. Friday at UNLV’s Buchanan Natatorium. The top four finishers in each event qualify for the state meet May 16 at Carson Aquatic Facility in Carson City.

The Division I finals are Saturday at Buchanan Natatorium with the Sunset Region starting at 8 a.m. and the Sunrise Region scheduled for 1 p.m. The top two finishers in each event qualify for state, along with the third-place finisher with the best time between the Sunrise and Sunset regions.

Green started swimming competitively when she was 9 and was an age-group standout, but said the pressure to perform created “family issues.” Green said she stepped away from the sport for close to two years before joining Sierra Vista’s team as a freshman.

“She mentioned to me at the outset that things had gotten a little too intense in certain regards in the past,” Mountain Lions coach David Jurvelin said. “The draw for club kids is it’s supposed to be more fun for them swimming for their school instead of their club and times.”

Green is a five-time state qualifier, but her best finish at the region meet is second place in the 100-yard freestyle, which she has done twice. Last season, Green was third in the 100 freestyle and 100 backstroke at the Division I Sunset Region meet.

Sierra Vista is competing at the Division I-A level this season, giving Green her best chance yet to win a region title. Boulder City sophomore Montana Lloyd is the defending champion in the 200 individual medley and the 100 backstroke, Green’s events.

“This year, I feel like it’s really important to me because last year at state I was really sick and I was out of the water for a couple of days beforehand and didn’t do what I wanted to,” Green said. “This year, I’m really looking to prove myself.”

Green, who attends Southwest Career and Technical Academy but is zoned for Sierra Vista, rejoined the Sandpipers of Nevada club program after her freshman year and went on to set a handful of team records. She will attend Pacific in the fall and is hoping to qualify for the Olympic trials in the 400-meter individual medley and the 200-meter backstroke, which is her speciality.

“It has been fun,” Green said. “I’ve really been able to figure out how to do it by myself and how to put just the right amount of pressure on myself to be able to swim fast.”

Contact reporter David Schoen at dschoen@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5203. Follow him on Twitter: @DavidSchoenLVRJ.