The Riverside Press-Enterprise
Ryder Amancio
Senior, Santiago
Ryder Amancio slapped the water emphatically after winning the CIF Southern Section’s Division 2 title in the boys 50-yard freestyle.
It was a rare display of raw emotion from the usually reserved Amancio.
“Most swimmers who do the freestyle sprints have larger-than-life personalities, but that’s not really the case with Ryder. He kind of keeps all of that fire inside of him,” Santiago coach Kenny Clements said. “But when he hits those times, those emotions come out in a big way. And when that happens, I say to myself, ‘Who is this kid?’”
Amancio became just the third boys swimmer in school history and the first in two decades to capture an individual title at the CIF Southern Section finals. He also claimed the silver medal in the 100-yard freestyle at the Division 2 finals. Amancio broke three school records during his final season as a Shark.
For those reasons, Amancio has been selected the IE Varsity Boys Swimmer of the Year.
Amancio tied for fifth place in the 50-yard freestyle and placed fourth in the 100yard freestyle at the section final his junior year. Becoming a section champion and breaking the school records in those freestyle events held by Josh Delizo provided Amancio with plenty of motivation throughout his senior season.
“I looked at that record board pretty much every time I was on the pool deck,” Amancio said. “I wanted to make sure my name was up there when I left.”
Clements said Amancio had a slow start to the season but never lost confidence. He battled through sickness near the end of the season and had to deal with a shortened taper leading into the section finals. Amancio was brimming with confidence before the 50-yard freestyle final, telling Clements he would prevail and break the school record as he headed over to the blocks. And Amancio came through, winning the championship in a time of 20.51 seconds.
Amancio joined James Hopton (1999 and 2000) and Russell Thompson (2003) as the only Santiago boys swimmers to win a title at the section finals.
“Not a lot of people get the opportunity to do that,” Amancio said of winning the title. “That why I splashed the water like I did. That was a cool feeling.”
Approximately an hour later, Amancio finished second in the 100-yard freestyle championship final, and his time of 45.56 earned him another school record.
Amancio does not plan to continue swimming at the collegiate level, saying his fire for the sport has flickered out. Amancio is headed to Cal Poly Pomona to study industrial engineering. He is proud of his accomplishments in the pool and the legacy he left at Santiago.
“I believe I accomplished everything that I set out to do,” said Amancio, who also broke the program record in the 100-yard butterfly this season. “For years, I looked up to the swimmers who came before me and chased their records. It’s nice knowing that I’m now going to be one of those that future swimmers will be looking up to.”