Metro Conference swim and dive teams are in high gear as the season heads toward its stretch run. The South Bay League prelims and finals are scheduled April 30, beginning at 9 a.m. at Mater Dei Catholic High School. The Mesa League will hold its finals the same day, starting at 1 p.m. at the same site.
The conference-wide diving finals are scheduled Friday, April 29, starting at noon at the Parkway pool in downtown Chula Vista.
Who are the top swimmers and the teams to beat this season? That drama has been playing out over the past month during dual meet match-ups in both leagues.
The competition has been intense. Hilltop and Olympian paired up in a solid meet on April 7 at the Parkway pool, followed by an even more dramatic encounter between Eastlake and Olympian on April 14 at the same site.
Tuesday, Eastlake and Otay Ranch collided at the Loma Verde pool in a match-up of what could be the top teams this season in the Mesa League. Both teams entered the competition with 4-0 league records and Eastlake improved to 5-0 after sweeping both ends of the meet.
Eastlake won the boys meet 100-79 and captured the girls meet 114-71.
Six teams were in action April 14 at the Parkway pool. Following the Olympian-Eastlake dual meet, Montgomery and Chula Vista met in a South Bay League encounter. That meet was the middle event in a rare triple-header that spotlighted Sweetwater and San Ysidro in the nightcap.
Making a splash
Eastlake and Olympian engaged in a nip and tuck battle for most of their Mesa League dual match-up before the Titans pulled away at the end to create some breathing room.
Eastlake won the boys meet by a final score of 101-82 and captured the girls meet by a score of 144-39.
Titan head coach Steve Wiggs was impressed by the competition.
“That was the closest meet in years I’ve been involved in on the boys side,” Wiggs explained. “We were losing. Our team is very young and to come out here and perform well under pressure and be able to win a meet is huge for us. Olympian was good. They have an incredible team.”
Eastlake won seven of the 12 events in the boys meet, though Olympian led 17-13 through two events and the score was tied 31-31 through four events. The Eagles out-scored the Titans in five events and tied in total points in two other events.
Cayden Pangelinan paced Eastlake with wins in three events while teammates Stephen Sterlitz, Cade Erickson and Jason Wilder each notched two wins.
Pangelinan won the 200 individual medley in 2:11.41 and the 100 breaststroke in 1:03.35 while Sterlitz won the 100 butterfly in 57.76 and Erickson won the 500 freestyle in 5:22.74.
Pangelinan, Erickson and Sterlitz also paired with teammate Josh Randall to close out the meet with a victory in the 4×100 freestyle relay in 3:37.70.
Wilder won the 50 freestyle in 27.76 and scored a meet-high 155.5 points in the one-meter diving competition.
Sterlitz almost recorded a third win in the meet but was just out-touched in the 100 freestlye (51.17) by Olympian’s Garrett Wesley (51.04).
Wesley led the Eagles with individual wins in the 200 freestyle (1:52.85) and 100 freestyle while also swimming a leg on Olympian’s meet-opening 200 medley relay squad (1:47.85) with teammates Zedric Soriano, Kevin Reynoso and Karl Moreno.
Soriano also won the 100 backstroke in 1:01.08.
The Eagles quartet of Soriano, Moreno, Sean Sebree and Reynoso also won the 4×50 freestyle relay in 1:40.17 to give Soriano three wins on the day to match Wesley and two each for Reynoso and Moreno.
Wesley has recorded automatic CIF qualifying times in two events so far this season and has consideration times in two other events.
Eastlake was more dominant on the girls side, scoring first-place finishes in all 12 events.
Angelica Yngson, Valerie Chin and Elisabeth Lundgren all doubled in individual events to pace the winning effort.
Yngson won the 200 IM (2:17.15) and 100 freestyle (56.30) while Chin won the 50 freestyle (26.55) and 100 breaststroke (1:14.38). Lundgren won the 200 freestyle (2:05.84) and 100 backstroke (1:06.84).
Also scoring individual event wins for the EHS girls team were Paola Rivas 100 in the butterfly (1:04.44), Sofia Lopez in the 500 freestyle (5:46.61) and Britnee Beilstein (162.3 points) in the one-meter diving competition.
Eastlake won the 200 medley relay in 2:01.38, the 4×50 freestyle relay in 1:54.77 and the 4×100 freestyle relay in 4:02.36.
Yngson, Rivas, Lundgren and Chin comprised the 400 freestyle unit. Rivas also placed second in the 200 IM (2:25.53) while Lopez was second in the 100 butterfly (1:05.83).
Olympian coach Carolyn Lechner said her squad continues to progress as the season goes on.
“We had a lot of kids hit PR times in the meet,” she explained. “Even though we didn’t win the meet against Eastlake, it was a win for us (in other ways). We have respect for the energy Eastlake brings to the meet, and all the cheering. I love their school spirit.”
Four Otay Ranch swimmers entered Tuesday’s meet undefeated in league: Ryan Gagarin, Ohj Nobles, Julie Parsons and Kristine Tapia. Another undefeated swimmer, Bryan Thai, was in Kentucky and did not compete.
Hilltop’s Sydney Aki remained undefeated through the dual meet against Olympian.
South Bay League: Montgomery slips past Chula Vista in swim meet
Senior Faux Mahan, the 50-yard freestyle champion for Mar Vista at last year’s Mesa League Finals, has transferred to Montgomery and looks to continue his mastery of the waves at the South Bay League Finals.
He competed in two events in an April 14 meet against Chula Vista, winning the 50 free in 24.37 and swimming a leg on the Aztecs’ winning 200 medley relay team (2:06.81).
Montgomery won both ends of the meet to improve to 4-1 in both boys and girls competition. The Aztecs defeated the Spartans, 89-76, in the boys meet and 92-79 in the girls meet.
Montgomery’s Bryanna Estrada won four events in the girls meet: 200 medley relay (2:38.50), 100 freestyle (1:11.53), 400 freestyle relay (5:13.21) and one-meter diving competition.
Montgomery won eight of the 11 swimming events in the boys meet.
The Aztecs started off the meet with a win in the 200 medley relay as Manuel Banda (backstroke), Mahan (breaststroke), Alan Roldan (butterfly) and Chase Riegg (freestyle) combined for a time of 2:06.81.
In individual events, Roldan later won the 100 butterfly (1:01.56) while Banda won the 100 backstroke (1:13.68).
The girls meet was closer, with Montgomery capturing first-place finishes in seven of the 12 events.
Nicole Santiago, Brianna Dietrich and Carolyn Del Valle joined Estrada on the victorious 200 medley relay team while Dietrich later won the 100 backstroke (1:31.33) and Santiago won the 100 breaststroke (1:24.75).
“It’s such a happy moment for my team,” Montgomery coach Wendy Figueroa noted with excitement in her voice after the meet. “Go Aztecs!”
Amor Burns won the 50 freestyle, was second in the 100 freestyle and anchored the Spartans’ winning 200 freestyle relay team to highlight showings by the Chula Vista girls team.
On the boys side for Chula Vista, Oscar Echanove won the 100 freestyle (1:04.73) and was second in the 200 freestyle (2:30.06).
The Spartans also won the 200 freestyle relay (1:51.05).
Eastlake dive program scoring points after 10-year hiatus
Eastlake High School has resurrected its long-dormant diving program with high marks so far this season.
Four divers representing the east side Chula Vista school competed in Tuesday’s dual meet against Mesa League rival Otay Ranch at the Loma Verde pool. All received their fair share of cheers from teammates and spectators as they attempted their best dives off the one-meter board.
How good a start has it been? The Titan divers were undefeated heading into Tuesday’s big meet.
“This is the first dive program at Eastlake in more than 10 years,” EHS dive coach Laura Hess explained. “It’s amazing. We had a huge turnout of kids, and these four have stepped up. They’ve showed a lot of improvement in seven weeks. They’re diving great. They’re amazing.”
Junior Jason Wilder racked up 155.5 points to win the boys diving competition against Olympian High School April 14 at the Parkway pool. Freshman teammate Logan Eyer was third with 121.75 points after Olympian’s Xavier Sanchez, who was second with 140.45 points.
Both competed Tuesday against Otay Ranch along with female teammates Britnee Beilstein and Renee Lanswick. Beilstein, a sophomore, scored 162.3 points in the meet against Olympian while Lanswick, a senior, scored 108.3 points to place ahead of third-place finisher Sophie Ferrer of Olympian (101.8 points).
