RECORDS FALL AT CIF SWIM
Had the decision stood to cancel this year’s San Diego CIF Swim Championships, there would not have been five section records established.
Torrey Pines’ Mia Kragh set two marks, while Classical Academy’s Mateo Parker and San Marcos’ Aiden Simpson broke one each in their farewells to prep competition. Plus, Eastlake junior Emily Lundgren shattered the oldest record on the books.
Parker set the tone by establishing the boys 50-yard freestyle mark (20.15 seconds) as part of his two victories in the Division II finals on Friday at Granite Hills High.
His showing helped launch a meet rescheduled just a week ahead of time due to improvements in pandemic recovery after being called off in late March. A year ago, there was no meet at the outset of the pandemic.
“I was definitely bummed that it was canceled for a while,” said Parker, who defended his two titles from his meet debut two years ago. “The swimmers from my (senior) class helped get the word out that we really needed this event.”
Parker broke the 50 free mark (20.21) established at the 2018 state meet by La Costa Canyon’s Dylan Delaney and matched the next year by Stephan Lukashev of Torrey Pines.
“I didn’t really have any expectations going into the year,” said Parker, who clipped 35 seconds off his time from 2019. “It’s just amazing to share that (spotlight) with those guys. I know them pretty well, and it’s good to be associated with them.”
In also winning the 100 free, Parker (44.65) came within 17 hundredths of a second of the section record (44:48) set by Rancho Bernardo’s Trent Williams in 2012.
Parker, bound for USC, is set to swim this summer in the Egyptian nationals in a return to his mother’s homeland.
In the Division I finals on Saturday, Kragh (22.99) first broke the girls 50 free record (23.03) set in 2019 by La Costa Canyon’s Rachel Rhee. Then Kragh (52.22) surpassed the 100 butterfly record that she set in winning at the state meet as a sophomore (52.26).
“Honestly, I was most excited to have fun with my friends in my senior year because we didn’t get to do this last year,” said Kragh, who is heading to Cal. “Also, the 50 free record was definitely on my mind, so I’m so excited for that. Since I didn’t taper this week, I was really happy as well for my 100 fly time.”
Lundgren, who turned 17 on March 6, broke the 100 breaststroke record older than herself dating to 1998 by Carlsbad’s Staci Stitts first in the prelims (1:01.24) and then the finals (1:00.96).
“I’m definitely in shock,” said Lundgren, who also had a repeat win in the 200 individual medley (2:02:74). “When I did it in the prelims, I was blown away and then I just tried to lower it some more in the finals.”
Simpson set the boys 200 IM record with a repeat title (1:48:88), eclipsing the old mark (1:49:13) set in 2013 by Tom Anderson of Bishop’s. Also, he added another win in the 100 breaststroke (55.81).
Fellow Knights senior Adam Ladman recorded an encore win in the 200 free (1:38.96) and added a crown in the 100 free (45.92).
On the Division II girls side, La Costa Canyon senior Noelle Harvey also enjoyed the chance to compete again after recording twin wins two years ago.
“Honestly, it really was (sentimental),” said Harvey, who is heading to Washington State. “This was where my freshman year of CIF was, so to finish up at Granite Hills was really cool. I had some time drops my freshman year at this meet, so it was like a full-circle moment.”
Harvey prevailed in the 200 free (1:49:45) in a switch from the 100 free. However, in her repeat title bid in the 100 backstroke, Harvey (56:19) finished second behind Mt. Carmel freshman Delaney Alonso (55.95).
La Jolla freshman Arielle Brotman emerged with wins by wide margins in the 200 IM (1:49:45) and the 100 breast (1:02.42).
“I’m super excited,” Brotman said. “I wanted to get a championship, and I knew it was possible, but I didn’t know it would actually happen. In the water, I didn’t think about it so much, but just went out and swam.”
La Costa Canyon junior Ava Delaney also had twin wins in the 50 free (24:00) and 100 free (52:42). A repeat title came from Cathedral Catholic senior Kathryn Lundh, a future UCLA swimmer, in the 100 butterfly (56:03).
University City (206 points) won its first girls team title ahead of Cathedral Catholic (204) in Division II, while Bishop’s (184) repeated as the boys champion also ahead of the Dons (139).
In Division I, the Torrey Pines girls (213) extended their record title streak to 11 straight years, while the Falcon boys (240) claimed their sixth consecutive crown.