Orange County swimmers blaze to improvements at CIF-SS Division 1 prelims
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WALNUT — Newcomers setting records on a relay. Former junior varsity members advancing to the finals for a CIF Southern Section juggernaut. And an All-County performer clocking a best time for high school.
Orange County swimmers brought those stories of improvement, and a few others, to the surface Thursday at the CIF-SS Division 1 preliminaries at Mt. SAC.
Santa Margarita’s boys and girls, the reigning Division 1 champions, again pushed the current and set the stage for the finals Saturday at 10 a.m.
The Eagles’ boys 200-yard freestyle relay broke its still-drying Orange County record and wiped away the Division 1 meet record with a time of 1 minutes, 21.60 seconds.
The team of Tyler Lee (20.82 seconds), Adam Cuthbert (20.35), Carson Eich (20.40) and anchor Bennett Korner (20.03) broke their county record of 1:21.97 from the Trinity League finals on May 1. They also edged Loyola’s 2023 Division 1 record of 1:21.66.
“We didn’t think we were going to go that fast,” Santa Margarita co-coach Rich Blanc said. “The only one who returned on that relay from last year was Bennett Korner. The other three guys, they were good but they weren’t on that relay.”
“At the start of the year, (co-coach) Ron (Blanc) and I were looking at our boys sprinters as our weak spot,” the coach added. “They’ve just really grown into it. They’re a lot of seniors and they’ve just continued to improve. Now, the sprints are our strength.”
Loyola coach Kevin Mann noticed. He joked with the Santa Margarita relay, featuring three seniors and one junior, about breaking the Cubs’ record in prelims.
“Our team effort, with how meshed we are, is really the most important part,” Lee said. “It’s only prelims. I feel like we have a lot left in the tank for finals.”
Santa Margarita’s boys and girls positioned themselves well for finals by racing fast and avoiding disqualifications on the relays.
The boys racked up 26 individual entries for finals while the girls earned 22.
Santa Margarita boys are aiming for a sixth straight Division 1 title while the girls are seeking a record 12th consecutive section crown.
Santa Margarita’s girls graduated a dozen seniors last year, including standout Teagan O’Dell, but can surpass Mission Viejo’s run of 11 consecutive girls swimming titles from 1976-1986.
“The girls were saying ‘A lot of people think we’re not going to win it this year because of 12 girls lost,’ Rich Blanc said. “All season, we’re like, ‘Keep working hard and we’ll see what happens.’ We’ll see what happens.”
“We had a lot of girls who were on the JV team last year who are here now,” the coach added. “We had one girl (senior Angela Lim), she was fifth in the 50 free today. Last year, she was on the JV team, so lots of great improvements.”
Corona del Mar’s Sofia Szymanowski flashed her improvement in the 100 breaststroke. The junior qualified first with a school-record 1:00.33, her fastest time in high school.
Szymanowski, who is committed to Michigan, has dipped under a minute with the Irvine Novaquatics in club but is aiming to become the third O.C. girl ever to break the barrier in a high school meet.
“I was so happy with that (prelim time),” she said. “(Breaking one minute) is so hard. I really want to do it again because I’ve only broken a minute one time.”
Szymanowski was among the swimmers from the Novaquatics’ training group at Los Cab to excel in prelims.
Fountain Valley’s Alyssa Ton qualified first in the 200 (1:45.95) and 500 (4:45.27) freestyles. The junior also led off the 400 free relay with a 49.50.
Northwood’s Andrew Maksymowski earned top seeds in the 200 (1:35.93) and 500 (4:26.58) freestyles.
Other notable improvements came from JSerra’s Nolan Baker and Corona del Mar’s Ethan Lim.
Baker grabbed the top seed in the 100 free with a season-best 44.45 while Lim qualified first in the breaststroke in a county-leading 54.98.
Newport Harbor’s Connor Ohl qualified second in the 100 free (44.51) and first in the 50 (20.13).
Woodbridge and San Clemente appear headed toward a close duel for second place in the girls competition.
San Clemente’s girls medley relay of freshman Wren Collins, junior Neva Phillips, freshman Macie Weingarten and senior Zoe de Fabrique qualified first with a school-record 1:44.41.
Woodbridge’s Isabella Parker (50.39) and Tanja Amizic (50.66) finished first and second, respectively, in the 100 free. Amizic later secured the top seed in the backstroke at 55.18.
Santa Monica sophomore Gabriella Brito emerged as the top individual of prelims.
She showcased her strong underwater skills to break Olympian Katie McLaughlin’s meet record in the 100 butterfly with a 51.41. Brito also qualified first in the 50 in a lifetime-best 21.93.
Brito set pool records in both races.
“It helps me so much,” she said of her underwater technique. “I’m excited for Saturday.”
DIVISION 4
Sophomore Ryan Ham won the 500 free in 4:42.38 to become the first Pacifica Christian swimmer to capture a section title.
La Habra’s girls and Fullerton’s boys each placed fourth to lead county schools.
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This story was originally published May 7, 2026 at 9:17 PM.