High School Swimming

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Laguna Hills swimmer Tona Zinn commits to Northwestern

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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

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Laguna Hills High, SOCAL swimmer Tona Zinn commits to Northwestern

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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

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O.C. swimming: Alex Ispas of Nadadores shifts from Signing Day to race day at U.S. Open

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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.

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Tesoro girls swimming coach Todd Conrad departing for Pennsylvania after stellar eight-year run

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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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Swimming official Kieth Pike remembered for deck excellence during 56-year career

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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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High school swimming could encounter boosts, challenges in comeback from cancellation

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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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OCVarsity swimming leaderboard for Wednesday, Feb. 26

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BOYS SWIMMING/DIVING

Nonleague

FOOTHILL 92, LONG BEACH WILSON 78

EL DORADO 91, CORONA 77

200-yard medley relay (1:42.5 OCV standard) – LBW 1:40.90, Foot 1:42.15,

200 free (1:46.5) – 

200 IM (2:00.2) – 

50 free (22.2) – Rivers (LBW) 21.92

100 butterfly (53.8) – Heaston (Cor) 53.36

100 free (48.5) – 

500 free (4:51.5) – 

200 free relay (1:30.5) – 

100 back (55.5) – Tallman (Foot) 54.91

100 breast (1:01.0) – Rivers (LBW) 1:00.08,

400 free relay (3:26.0) – Foot 3:23.25, LBW 3:23.59

Diving (350 points) — 

GIRLS SWIMMING/DIVING

Nonleague

CORONA 92, EL DORADO 77

200 medley relay (1:55.5) –

200 free (1:59.0) –

200 IM (2:16.0) –

50 free (25.2) –

100 butterfly (1:00.5) –

100 free (55.1) –

500 free (5:22.0) –

200 free relay (1:43.0) –

100 back (1:02.3) –

100 breast (1:10.5) –

400 free relay (3.45.9) –

Diving (350 points)

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Villa Park diver Andrew Harness captures CIF Division 2 championship

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Andrew Harness is finally a CIF-SS diving champion.

And so is Villa Park.

Three years after his promising freshman debut, the Texas-bound senior captured the CIF-SS Division 2 title Monday at Riverside City College to help kickoff championship week for swimming and diving.

Harness scored 610.35 points for his 11-dive list on springboard to outdistance freshman Nicholas Chaou of South Pasadena by just over 50 points.

As a freshman in 2016, Harness signaled his arrival with a runner-up finish in Division 1. The following spring, he was a narrow runner-up at the state championships to Jake Fielding of Maranatha.

Harness didn’t dive for Villa Park last season but has been a consistent winner this spring.

He is the first diver from Villa Park, a traditionally strong program in aquatics, to capture a section crown. The school has produced Olympic water polo players Josh Samuels, Gavin Arroyo, Doug Kimbell and Shea Buckner.

Harness is expected to dive Saturday in Riverside for a berth in the state championships in Fresno.

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Boys swimming: Top-10 times entering Thursday, April 25 league finals

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BOYS SWIMMING/DIVING

Orange County leaders through April 24, 2019

Please send updates/corrections to Dan Albano at dalbano@scng.com or on Twitter at @ocvarsityguy

200-yard medley relay (Top 10) — Uni 1:34.83 FSG, Tes 1:35:34, AN 1:35.99, SM 1:37.98, Nor 1:38.25, JS 1:38.43, TH 1:38.93, LaHi 1:38.96, MD 1:39.36, Wood 1:39.36

200 free (10) — Ingram (Foot) 1:38.53 FSG, Lewis (TH) 1:40.75, Mykkanen (Foot) 1:40.84, Davis (Tes) 1:41.02, Leech (ET) 1:41.64, Brune (SM) 1:42.31, Smith (AN) 1:42.57, Ness (SM() 1:42.87, Ng (Uni) 1:43.10, Zhu (Nor) 1:43.27

200 IM (10) — Taylor (TH) 1:52.47, Nghi (FV) 1:52.66, Hussong (Can) 1:53.57, Macy (Irv) 1:53.72, Tu (SM) 1:54.22, Neamand (Tes) 1:54.27, Zinn (LaHi) 1:54.39, B. Lou (Uni) 1:55.05, Morales-Ostergaard (SM) 1:55.10, Xue (Nor) 1:55.25

50 free (10) — B. Lou 20.45 FSG, 20.71, Cantin (TH) 20.71, Martinez (Ser) 20.82, Lee (Uni) 20.85, Moore (LosAl) 20.94, Slusiewicz (AN) 21.24, Stovner (Foot) 21.39, Michelsen (AN) 21.46, Brennan (Tes) 21.54, Pai (Por) 21.64,

100 butterfly (10) — Lee (Uni) 49.75 FSG, B. Lou (Uni) 49.96, Slusiewicz (AN) 50.44, Tu (SM) 50.46, T. Whitmore (Edi) 50.56, Holton (Mar) 50.78, Brune (SM) 50.86, Xue (Nor) 51.13, Cho (AN) 51.19, Kim (Wood) 51.81

100 free (10) — Ingram (Foot) 45.22 FSG, B. Lou (Uni) 45.40, Lee (Uni) 45.62, Cantin (TH) 46.02, Martinez (Ser) 46.07, Mykkanen (Foot) 46.39r, Moore (LosA,) 46.54, Maney (LosAl) 46.98, Michelsen (AN) 47.36, Stemler (NH) 47.42

500 free (10) — Brune (SM) 4:29.62, Mykkanen (Foot) 4:29.82, Davis (Tes) 4:31.04, Taylor (TH) 4:34.90,  Kroll (Uni) 4:35.67, Bernstein (Wood) 4:39.59. Goh (MV) 4:41.61, Ispas (SM) 4:42.06, Grulke (Beck) 4:42.60, Chomin (Nor) 4:43.23

200 free relay (9) — Foot 1:26.91 FSG, SM 1:27.00, Tes 1:27.06, Uni 1:27.48, Nor 1:27.83, MD 1:29.98, Wood 1;30.13, AN 1:30.29, TH 1:30.36

100 back (8)— Tu (SM) 50.73 FSG, Cho (AN) 50.83, Schreiber (Sage) 50.89, Neamand (Tes) 51.28, T. Whitmore (Edi) 51.71, Ng (Uni) 51.91, Lewis (TH) 52.20, Morales-Ostergaard (SM) 52.42

100 breast (10) –– Slusiewicz (AN) 56.76, B. Lou (Uni) 56.90, Nghi (FV) 57.13, Macy (Irv) 57.97, Cho (Tes) 58.26, M. Lou (Uni) 58.32, Sun (Beck) 58.37, Gamette (SC) 58.47, Sorenson (MV) 58.53, Budka (Nor) 58.76

400 free relay (9) — Uni 3:06.02 FSG, SM 3:07.56, Foot 3:08.64, AN 3:11.69, Nor 3:11.84, Tes 3:12.23, MD 3:14.35, TH 3:15.34, LaHi 3:17.13

Diving (11 dives) — Harness (VP) 587.65, Leavell (SM) 514.45

FSG = Foothill Swim Games

Please send updates/corrections to Dan Albano at dalbano@scng.com or on Twitter at @ocvarsityguy

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Late Tustin coach Cesar Altamirano honored at Empire League swim prelims

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Late Tustin water polo and swimming coach Cesar Altamirano was remembered Tuesday as the Tillers raced in his honor at the Empire League swim prelims at Kennedy High in La Palma.

The meet held a moment of silence before the first race for Altamirano, 26, who died Sunday morning after sustaining injuries in a serious car accident in Long Beach three days earlier.

Swimmers also wrote the phrase, “Swim for Cesar!” on their arms with a marker.

Tustin vowed to dedicate the meet to the popular coach.

“Our kids did really well,” Tustin swimming and water polo coach Kyle Brawley said. “Lots of best times.”

Tustin’s Anders and Hayden Hundeby, a sophomore and freshman, qualified first-second in the boys 500-yard freestyle with times of 4:59.12 and 5:01.46.

Altamirano led the Tustin’s boys water polo team to the CIF-SS Division 6 finals in November. He also was a well-known coach at the SOCAL club, leading the 12-and-under boys.

A memorial fund for Altamirano has started and can be found here.

 

 

 

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