Former Crean Lutheran High and Stanford swimmer Ella Eastin announced Tuesday, May 18 that she won’t race at the upcoming U.S. Olympic Trials because she has developed chronic fatigue and a nervous system disorder.
Eastin, 24, shared the conditions in a post on Instagram, writing that “for the first time, the health of my body and mind had to take priority” over her swimming career.
“Over the past year and half, I have been battling a seemingly undiagnosable illness that has incapacitated me,” she wrote. “I lost my ability to manage daily activities and had to be taken care of by family and friends.”
Eastin was expected to be among the contenders in the individual medley events at the Trials in Omaha, Neb. She is a member of the national team in the 200 and 400-meter individual medley.
Her last major appearance with the U.S. national team was in 2019 at the World Championships, where she placed 12th in the 200 IM.
Eastin helped Stanford win three NCAA team championships during a decorated collegiate career. She won eight individual NCAA titles and set four American records.
Eastin’s collegiate career came after a record-setting career at Crean Lutheran and rising the ranks with the SOCAL and Irvine Novaquatics club.
She said her nervous system disorder affects her cardiovascular health, energy and mental stability. She said she will continue to swim as a “restorative” activity and hopes to pursue a nursing career.
“I have been blessed by my swimming career in that it gave me lifelong friends, priceless experiences and prepared me to take on any challenge that may come my way,” she said. “You may just see me again behind the blocks one day.”
Top, reported Orange County swimming times through April 30, 2021, and recent scores:
BOYS SWIMMING/DIVING
Crestview League
FOOTHILL 118, BREA OLINDA 52
Pacific Coast League
NORTHWOOD 120, UNIVERSITY 58
South Coast League
ALISO NIGUEL 119, DANA HILLS 51
Surf League
LOS ALAMITOS 86, CORONA DEL MAR 82
Trinity League
SANTA MARGARITA 137, ORANGE LUTHERAN 32
MATER DEI 143, SERVITE 69
Wave League
HUNTINGTON BEACH 110, EDISON 60
Nonleague
CAPISTRANO VALLEY 139, JSERRA 0
200-yard medley relay (1:41.9 OCR standard) — HB 1:36.91, Uni 1:37.64, SM A 1:37.78, AN 1:38.32, SM B 1:38.36, Nor 1:38.38, Por 1:38.78, MD 1:39.22, CdM 1:39.79, Beck 1:40.27, MD B 1:41.90
200 free (1:45.9) — Cai (SM) 1:41.68, Najera (SM) 1:43.20, Morgan (SM) 1:43.54, Paisley (SC) 1:43.72, C. Dodd (HB) 1:44.70, Jiang (SM) 1:44.94, Leung (Nor) 1:45.46, Ju (SM) 1:45.86
400 free relay (3:25.0) — SM A 3:12.29, HB 3:13.58, LosAl 3:15.70, CdM 3:16.64, Port 3:19.91, LosAl B 3:19.99, Nor 3:17.74, Tes 3:17.77, AN 3:18.72, MD 3:21.37, Nor B 3:21.54, Foot 3:21.58, Ser 3:21.79, MD 3:21.91, Beck 3:21.96, LB 3:22.30, ET 3:22.31, SM B 3:23.60, SC 3:24.01
Diving – (350 points) —
GIRLS SWIMMING/DIVING
Crestview League
FOOTHILL 114, BREA OLINDA 56
Pacific Coast League
NORTHWOOD 102, UNIVERSITY 76
Trinity League
SANTA MARGARITA 117, ORANGE LUTHERAN 49
MATER DEI 146, ROSARY 64
Nonleague
CAPISTRANO VALLEY 95, JSERRA 75
CANYON 111, YORBA LINDA 57
200 medley relay (1:54.9 OCR standard) — CdM 1:46.61, SM A 1:49.22, LosAl 1:49.92, JS 1:52.18, Por 1:52.57, CV 1:53.46, FV 1:53.86, SM B 1:54.45
An Orange County high school-age swimmer raced her way into the spotlight amid the Olympians at the TYR Pro Swim Series in Mission Viejo on Saturday, April 10.
Tesoro High junior Katie Crom, representing the host Mission Viejo Nadadores, won the 200-meter butterfly in a lifetime-best time of 2 minutes, 10.38 seconds at the Marguerite Recreation Center.
Crom, 17, surged in the final lap to out-touch 18-year-old Lillie Nordmann of Alto Swim Club in Northern California by just over two-tenths of a second.
Saturday’s finals also included Brazilian Bruno Fratus out-touching Caeleb Dressel by three one-hundredths of a second to capture the 50 free in 21.80 and Katie Ledecky posting the fastest time in the world this year in the 400 free (3:59.25).
Laguna Hills High swimmer Tona Zinn, who became a CIF Southern Section individual champion as a freshman, committed to Northwestern on Tuesday, Jan. 19.
The junior from the SOCAL club announced his commitment on Instagram, thanking his friends, family and coaches for their support.
As a freshman in 2019, Zinn captured the 200-yard individual medley at the Division 1 final in 1 minute, 48.61 seconds. He also placed third in the 100 breaststroke with a time of 55.79.
Zinn went on to race at the CIF State meet in Clovis, finishing fifth in the 200 IM and ninth in the breaststroke.
Last spring, Orange County’s high school swimmers didn’t get much of a chance to make a splash as the pandemic ended their season in mid-March.
In a club meet in Arizona last month, Zinn clocked a swift 1:47.61 in the 200 IM. Corey Okubo holds the county record with a 1:45.42 for University in 2014.
Please send swimming news to Dan Albano at dalbano@scng.com or @ocvarsityguy on Twitter or Instagram
Laguna Hills High swimmer Tona Zinn, who became a CIF Southern Section individual champion as a freshman, committed to Northwestern on Tuesday, Jan. 19.
The junior from the SOCAL club announced his commitment on Instagram, thanking his friends, family and coaches for their support.
As a freshman in 2019, Zinn captured the 200-yard individual medley at the Division 1 final in 1 minute, 48.61 seconds. He also placed third in the 100 breaststroke with a time of 55.79.
Zinn went on to race at the CIF State meet in Clovis, finishing fifth in the 200 IM and ninth in the breaststroke.
Last spring, Orange County’s high school swimmers didn’t get much of a chance to make a splash as the pandemic ended their season in mid-March.
In a club meet in Arizona last month, Zinn clocked a swift 1:47.61 in the 200 IM. Corey Okubo holds the county record with a 1:45.42 for University in 2014.
Please send swimming news to Dan Albano at dalbano@scng.com or @ocvarsityguy on Twitter or Instagram
IRVINE Mission Viejo Nadadores swimmer Alex Ispas signed a national letter of intent with his dream university — Northwestern — on Wednesday, Nov. 11.
On Thursday night, the Santa Margarita High senior raced as the youngest male in the fastest heat of the men’s 800-meter freestyle at the U.S. Open
And his spot in the sizzling heat at the Woollett Aquatics Center arrived as a surprise.
“I got scratched in,” he said.
Yes, talk about a couple of whirlwind days.
In his first pool competition since February because of the pandemic, Ispas clocked a time of 8 minutes, 31.94 seconds in the 800 freestyle, which combined with the results from the other nine sites for the meet, placed him 58th overall.
While his entry time of 8:14.39 — clocked racing for Austria at the European Junior Championships last summer — would have placed him in the Top 25, Ispas wasn’t too hard on himself.
“I’m happy to be back,” he said. “Being here and stepping up to race these guys is what I’ve missed.”
Ispas, 17, also is pleased with his training with the Nadadores, which was one of the first teams to resume training amid the pandemic.
“I’ve been pretty motivated these last few months going into this winter season, so I’ve enjoyed it,” he said. “We have a great group at Mission Viejo right now. We’ve been getting in some great work in.”
Ispas said he also is intrigued by open water racing. He made his debut at the recent West Coast Open Water Championships at Lake Las Vegas in Henderson, Nev. and placed ninth in the 10K.
Tesoro High girls swimming coach Todd Conrad called it a “bittersweet” decision.
The former Orange County high school coach of the year and veteran club coach said Monday, Sept. 14 that he will be resigning and moving with his family to Pennsylvania.
“It was a hard decision,” he said, “but it’s the right move for the family.”
Married with two young sons, Conrad will relocate to Downingtown, a suburb of Philadelphia, and become the head age-group coach with Upper Main Line YMCA. The club has a silver medal-standing with USA Swimming and about 300 year-round swimmers.
“We’re excited to have a new adventure,” Conrad said.
He will take considerable experience on the trek. He guided Tesoro for eight seasons, leading the Titans to the past six consecutive South Coast League titles.
The Titans also have finished second to Santa Margarita at the past three CIF-SS Division 1 championships.
Conrad, the Register’s coach of the year in 2018, also was known for building tight-knit teams and his enthusiasm on the pool deck.
He has been serving as director of operations at FAST the past eight months. His signature post in O.C. club swimming was leading the Coto Coyotes for 14 years. He also was recently the general manager of the Mission Viejo Nadadores.
Conrad swam at UC Irvine and also coached with the Irvine Aquazot and Santa Margarita.
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Kieth Pike, one of Southern California’s most experienced, respected and colorful swimming officials, died July 19 after a sudden bout with ketoacidosis, an acidic blood condition, his wife, Jo Ann, said Monday.
Pike, 84, started officiating high school meets in Southern California in 1962 and continued until 2017, the year he received the Ed Ruth Excellence in Officiating Award from Southern California Swimming.
“I respected him every time I had him deck,” veteran swimming official Richard Davis said. “I knew the deck was covered.”
Pike officiated the CIF-Southern Section swimming championships and was a fixture at Long Beach Wilson-hosted Klaus Barth Invitational.
The Westminster resident also officiated USA Swimming meets and high school water polo matches. He was past president of the Southern California Aquatics Federation.
“Kieth was one our best officials,” veteran referee John Montrella said.
Pike indeed spelled his first name Kieth, a unique flair picked by his mother.
Pike swam and played water polo at Long Beach Jordan High before serving in the Air Force from 1956-1962.
After the Air Force, he began working as the pool attendant/lifeguard at Long Beach Millikan High’s indoor pool. He balanced the position with his referee assignments.
“He enjoyed (officiating) because he was there for the students and the athletes,” Jo Ann said.
Pike met Jo Ann, his wife of nearly 35 years, while at the Long Beach Millikan pool.
He is survived by children, Keith, Kevin, Michael, Randy, Bryan and Wendi, ex-wife Suzanne and several grandchildren.
A funeral service is being planned for Riverside National Cemetery in August.
“His zest for life and laughter were contagious and irresistible,” the Pike family wrote in a tribute. “He was silly and loud, dedicated and strong, dynamic and deep. … Kieth’s voice will always be with us, cracking jokes, brightening our days and urging us to be be better.”
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California’s high school swimming season ended abruptly in the spring because of the coronavirus pandemic. It’s scheduled comeback in 2021 offers intrigue and challenges.
In other words, it could feel a lot like just another swimming season in Southern California.
And considering the health crisis that has raged since March, that normalcy would be a welcomed vibe.
“We’re just hopeful we can have something this year,” Santa Margarita co-coach Rich Blanc said this week.
The revised sports calendar by the CIF-Southern Section pushes the swimming season back about three weeks to a start on March 13, 2021. The season will then operate in nearly its regular spring window.
The Southern Section championships are scheduled for the week of May 24, the last week before Memorial Day. The state championships remain and slotted for June 4-5.
Part of the intrigue and benefit for swimming in the new calendar is that many boys will enter the season directly from water polo. The water polo season will end for most teams in early March.
Traditionally, the boys play water polo in the fall and have an extended break before swimming. But with essentially no break between seasons this school year, the boys could be excellence shape early in the swimming campaign.
“I bet in the first two weeks of the season, you’ll see their best times until league,” Villa Park consultant John Kulisich said.
The boys, of course, will make the same transition that the girls have made for years from water polo to swimming. The girls usually play water polo in the winter and move right into swimming.
The swimming season also might experience a rehearsal of sorts in November. USA Swimming’s TYR Pro Swim Series is scheduled to make a stop in Irvine at Woollett Aquatics Center, Nov. 12-15, 2020.
Coach Ken LaMont of the host Irvine Novaquatics said his club will work with health officials leading up the meet but knows the pandemic makes the future uncertain.
“We’re excited about the possibility of the meet,” LaMont said Friday.
The high school season will face hurdles with scheduling.
The calendar’s stretch into late May and early June could conflict with high school graduations.
And there’s the typical, Olympic-year consideration. The early June conclusion of the season will be close to the start of the U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials, June 13-20, in Omaha, Neb.
In past Olympic years, some elite high school swimmers alter their schedule and training in preparation of Trials.
“We will deal with it successfully,” Mission Viejo Nadadores coach Mark Schubert said the balance act. “I don’t think there is a negative.”
Yes, any type of comeback from a canceled season would certainly be a positive.
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