WALNUT — Some high school swimmers struggle when making the leap into the CIF Southern Section Division 1 finals.
But Riverside Poly’s Ava DeAnda had no troubles competing against the best of the best because she is a member of that group.
DeAnda claimed titles in the 100-yard and 200-yard freestyles at the Southern Section’s Division 2 finals last year as a freshman. Poly’s girls team was bumped into the top division this season, but DeAnda captured another section title in the 100 freestyle and finished second in the 200 freestyle at the Division 1 finals Saturday afternoon at the Mt. San Antonio College Aquatics Center.
“I love the competition of Division 1. And these are the girls that I’m racing all of the time during club season,” DeAnda said.
DeAnda and Fountain Valley freshman Alyssa Ton went back and forth in the highly competitive 200 freestyle championship. Ton held a slight lead after 50 yards, but DeAnda surged ahead at the halfway point of the race. Ton regained the lead by the 150-yard mark and touched with a winning time of 1 minutes, 45.96 seconds. DeAnda was close behind with a 1:46.70.
“I think I let nerves get to me a little bit at the end,” DeAnda said. “And I let the freshman win. But that won’t happen again.”
DeAnda said she channeled all of the anger she was feeling from the second-place result into her swim in the 100 freestyle. DeAnda went out fast and led by four-tenths of a second at the midway point. She continued to extend her lead and won the race in a time of 48.82 seconds, more than a second faster than the rest of the field. That time was DeAnda’s best in a high school meet and only .02 seconds off her all-time best. DeAnda is the defending CIF State champion in the 100 free.
“I like winning, so that felt really good,” DeAnda said. “I think I can work more on going out faster, but I’m happy with that race.”
Riverside Poly’s Ava DeAnda wins the D1 girls 100 freestyle in 48.82
— Eric-Paul Johnson (@CallMeEPJ)
DeAnda also teamed with Lucy Bilhartz, Isabelle Suarez and Presley McPhail for a fourth-place finish in the 200 freestyle relay (1:36.67) and a fifth-place finish in the 200 medley relay (1:44.84).
DeAnda plans to defend her title in the 100 freestyle at the state meet in Clovis and maybe get some revenge in the 200.
“I think I’m going to want to win more than ever before,” said DeAnda, who placed third in the 200 free at state last season.
The biggest star of Saturday’s Division 1 finals was Santa Margarita High School’s Teagan O’Dell, a resident of Chino Hills.
O’Dell, a junior, won the girls 200 individual medley for the third consecutive year and broke her own Division 1 meet record by positing a time of 1:53.63, just a quarter of a second off of her national record of 1:53.38 set at last season’s state finals.
“I was happy with it. The goal was to have fun and be in the moment here before focusing on the (Olympic) trials,” O’Dell said.
Santa Margarita’s Teagan O’Dell throws down a 1:53.63 in the girls 200 IM. That’s a new D1 record and only .25 off her national record.
— Eric-Paul Johnson (@CallMeEPJ)
O’Dell won the 100 backstroke titles as a freshman and sophomore, but she elected not to swim her best event this year because of concerns about slippery touch pads. O’Dell instead swam the 100 butterfly and cruised to victory in a time of 52.12. She also swam on the winning 200 medley and 400 freestyle relay teams, helping the Eagles win their 10th straight team title.
O’Dell said she is skipping the state meet to focus on next month’s Olympic trials in Indianapolis, where she will compete in the 100- and 200-meter backstroke events. O’Dell was only 14 when she competed at the Olympic trials in 2021.
“I’m going to take it all in and give it my best shot, and hopefully I can make it through in one of those events,” O’Dell said.
Santiago junior Brinley Knoll finished fifth in the 100 breaststroke (1:03.01) and sixth in the 200 individual medley (2:03.58).
“Anytime you get a chance to swim at meet like this, you have to be proud of yourself and the work you’ve put in,” Knoll said. “You’re not going to be your best each time you swim, but you can still enjoy the process and have some fun with your team.”
Santiago freshman Charlotte Milkie placed fifth in the 100 freestyle (51.04) and eighth in the 200 freestyle (1:50.86).
“I’m really proud of making the A final in both of my events as a freshman,” Milkie said. “I enjoyed the whole experience.”
Knoll and Milkie qualified for the CIF State championship meet in both of their individual events. The duo also combined with Arianna Akbar and Madison Hem for an eighth-place finish in the 400 freestyle relay (3:32.51).
Los Osos senior Daniel Cao finished ninth in the boys 100 breaststroke (56.12) and also secured a spot at the state finals.
Damien’s Ryder Davis was ninth in the boys 100 butterfly (49.82), and teammate Parker Ewers won the consolation final in the 100 backstroke (50.93). Davis and Ewers teamed with Andrew Ramallo and Cameron Davis for a victory in the medley relay consolation race (1:34.24).
