State swim meet at Clovis West spotlight on Clovis North freshman phenom and many top recruits
Clovis North High swimmer Claire Tuggle is only a freshman, but she’s already well-positioned to make a splash at the CIF state swimming and diving championships.
The two-day meet begins Friday in the Clovis West Aquatics Center pool with girls diving finals at 8:30 a.m. and swimming preliminaries at 2:30 p.m. On Saturday, it’s boys diving at 8:30 a.m. and swimming finals at 2:30 p.m.
Tuggle comes in as a favorite in the 200 and 500 freestyle races after setting Central Section meet records last Saturday in the same Clovis West pool.
In the 500 free, Tuggle has the top-seeded time of 4 minutes, 42.42 seconds. California-San Ramon senior Daniella Hawkins (UCLA) is second at 4:44.78. Lurking as the sixth seed is Granada-Livermore senior Miranda Heckman (Texas), who’s trying to do what Tuggle aspires to: win a fourth straight state title. Heckman holds the state meet record in the event, 4:41.53 in 2017. Her best this year is 4:47.57.
Tuggle’s 1:46.19 in the 200 free ranks second in the state. That’s just .05 off the four-year-old state meet record and trails only Santa Margarita Catholic-Rancho Santa Margarita junior Ella Ristic (Indiana) who has a 1:45.66. The field is stacked with Saint Francis-Mountain View junior Nicole Oliva (Cal), Los Osos-Rancho Cucamonga senior Casslyn Treydtte (Arizona) and Heckman, who just happens to be the two-time state champion.
Many say the 14-year-old Tuggle is a ”phenom.” Here’s why:
In 2017, Tuggle broke a 40-year-old record in the 500 free for 11-12-year-old girls at the National Club Swimming Association Junior National Championships, touching the wall in 4:49.32.
In 2018, she posted the second-fastest time (1:44.96) behind Olympic gold medalist Missy Franklin in the 200 free – also at the NCSA Juniors.
Top Fresno-area swimmers
Ben Forbes — The Clovis North senior qualified in the 200 and 500 freestyle. He’s the section record-holder in the 200 and is an All-American swimmer who’s headed to Northwestern.
Averee Preble — The Clovis senior will compete in the 200 individual medley and 500 free. The Auburn-bound swimmer is one of the top distance swimmers in the nation.
Abby Samansky — The Clovis West senior qualified in the 100 free and 200 free; she’s an All-American in both events and is headed next year to the University of Tennessee.
Austin Lane — The Clovis West sophomore is an up-and-comer in the 100 fly and 100 backstroke.
Tyler Mansheim — The Buchanan junior qualified in the 100 free and 200 free. He’s an All-American in the 200 free.
State record holders return
Three swimmers who set state meet records last year in the Clovis West pool are back.
Two are in their last prep competitions: Foothill-Pleasanton senior Jonah Cooper (Ohio State) holds the 100 backstroke record of 46.62 and comes in with a top-seeded time of 47.40; Monte Vista-Danville senior Zoie Hartman (Georgia) holds the 100 breaststroke record of 59.66 and comes in as the top seed (1:00.13) in that event plus the 200 IM.
Ben Dillard of Oak Ridge-El Dorado Hills won the 100 breaststroke as a freshman in a state-meet record 53.96 and is the top seed this year at 54.31.
Trying to repeat
Besides Heckman, three others come in as defending champions. Cooper is trying to make it a three-peat in the 100 backstroke, Savannah Stocker of El Toro-Lake Forest won diving and Hartman is looking to back up her win in the 100 breaststroke.
CIF state swimming & diving championships
At Clovis West Aquatics Center
Event schedule
Friday — 8:30 a.m. girls diving finals; 2:30 p.m. swimming prelims
Saturday — 8:30 a.m. boys diving finals; 2:30 p.m. swimming finals
Tickets — $10 Friday ($7 for children 13-under/students with ASB card and seniors); $12 Saturday ($8 for children 13-under/students with ASB card and seniors)
