TRITON REPORT

BY ZACH CAVANAGH, SAN CLEMENTE TIMES

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Boys Swimming Captures First League Title Since 2004

It was a full multi-level sweep of the South Coast League for the San Clemente boys swim team for the Tritons’ first league championship in nearly 20 years.

Following an upset over Tesoro for the first time in eight years and a following loss to Aliso Niguel, San Clemente entered the South Coast League Finals in a threeway tie atop the league standings, but record-setting performances from Noah Sech and nine top-five finishes in 11 events, including seven top-three placings, helped the Tritons capture the South Coast League championship on Friday, April 28, at Capistrano Valley High School.

Sech, who swam at the CIF State Meet last season, was once again the star for San Clemente, as the Princeton-bound senior posted the Tritons’ two individual wins in the 200-yard individual medley and 100-yard breaststroke. Sech posted school and South Coast League records in both events, with a time of 1:47.38 in the 200-yard individual medley and 54.23 seconds in the 100yard breaststroke.

This season, Sech also set school records in the 100yard freestyle (45.23 seconds) and 200-yard freestyle (1:38.66). In the previous week, Sech also qualified for next year’s Olympic Trials in the 400-yard individual medley and 200-yard individual medley long course. Sech will swim at the National Swim Meet in Indianapolis on June 27.

San Clemente finished second in both the 200-yard medley relay and 400-yard freestyle relay to qualify for CIF-SS. The Tritons’ 200-yard freestyle relay also qualified with a fourth-place finish. Sebastien De Fabrique, Grant Mundl and Wyatt Miller also qualified for CIF-SS in their individual races. San Clemente won South Coast League team titles at the frosh-soph, junior varsity and varsity levels, along with a league diving championship by junior Nolan Rooker.

CIF-SS Division 1 prelims were run on Wednesday, May 3, but results were not available at press time. CIF-SS Finals are Friday, May 5, at Riverside City College.

Girls Swimming Finishes Third in Tight League Finals

time reigning CIF-SS Division 1 champion Foothill in the semifinals. Foothill defeated Mira Costa, 15-6, in the first round on Tuesday, May 2, San Clemente played Foothill closer than any other CIF-SS team this season in an 11-7 loss at Foothill on Feb. 28.

“I think if we play like we played today, we have a good shot at beating them,” Cain said. “The first time we played them, we weren’t really working together as a team. That was a real big jump (for the rest of the season). We learned from that game.”

The San Clemente girls were edged out for their own South Coast League championship on Friday, April 28, as the Tritons fell to third place at league finals.

Madelyn Phillips, who also swam at the CIF State Meet last season, set school and league records in the 100yard butterfly with a time of 1:02.27. The Purdue-bound senior also qualified for CIF-SS in the 200-yard individual medley, 100-yard freestyle and 100-yard breaststroke.

Zoe de Fabrique, a freshman, won in the 200-yard and 500-yard freestyle swims, and San Clemente won the 200yard medley relay and 400-yard freestyle relay.