By Sebastian Moore and
Vincent Nguyen
Outlook Valley Sun
High school swimmers in the Rio Hondo League all came together at La Cañada High on April 26 with hopes of being crowned champions.
La Cañada High swimmers Mia Bugarin and Ryan Makouar shined at the Rio Hondo League Swimming Championships, each capturing a pair of individual league crowns.
Makouar’s double helped the Spartan boys’ team win the league title, outscoring San Marino for top spot 482-454. Meanwhile, the La Cañada girls fell short of the team league crown as South Pasadena held off the Spartans 490-393.
Makouar won the 200-yard individual medley in 1 minute, 52.71 seconds and the 100 butterfly in 48.77. The senior was also part of two relay teams that finished runner-up in their races. Makouar teamed up with senior Pierce O’Grady, junior Jeffrey Wang and sophomore Sam Baker to place second in the 200 freestyle relay with a time of 1:27.58. The quartet also raced in the 400 freestyle, finishing second in 3:12.46 behind San Marino.
Baker was the only other Spartans boys swimmer to earn a league title, winning the 100 freestyle in 49.47. The sophomore narrowly defeated teammate Jeffrey Wang, a junior who finished the race in 49.76, for the league crown. La Cañada sophomore Jack Kassabian placed fourth in 51.01 in the race, ahead of senior Matthew Sheehy who came in 51.13.
Bugarin won two individual titles and was part of the league-winning relay team for the Spartan girls’ team. Alongside senior Avalon Sanders and sophomores Meredith O’Grady and Lilli Perner, Bugarin and the Spartans won the girls’ 400 freestyle relay in 3:37.30 to claim the league title.
In the individual races, Bugarin won the 200 free in 1:50.80 and the 500 free in 4:52.68.
Sophomore Meredith O’Grady finished runner-up in the girls 200 individual medley in 2:12.16 behind winner Ana Mancera-Rodriguez of South Pasadena, who clocked in 2:09.48. The Spartans sophomore also finished second in the 100 butterfly in 59.41.
O’Grady came in second in the 200 free in 1:40.08 and the 500 in 4:36.99, while Spartans freshman Jacob Wang finished runner-up in the 100 backstroke in 56.46.
La Cañada sophomore Natalee Yun also placed second in her race with a runner-up finish of 54.84 in the girls’ 100 free.
The Spartans boys’ and girls’ teams will be competing in the finals of the CIF Southern Section Swimming & Diving Championship in Division I at Mt. San Antonio College starting at noon on Saturday, May 4.
FLINTRIDGE PREP
The Flintridge Prep varsity girls’ team finished as the Prep League runner-up after scoring 323 team points during the finals at Polytechnic School on April 20.
The 200 freestyle relay team of Addie Gish, Megan Lee, Charlotte Fishman and Natalie Walklett clinched first place with a time of 1:40.05. In the 400-yard freestyle relay, the team of Megan Lee, Fishman, Gish and Walklett secured first place with a time of 3:36.65.
Walklett won the 100 butterfly, securing first place with a time of 57.80. Fishman followed closely in second place with a time of 59.19, while Sabine Hemann finished 11th with a time of 1:26.05.
Gish finished first in the 200 freestyle with a time of 1:50.84. Fishman secured second place with a time of 2:02.37, followed by Isabella Bonaccorso in seventh place with a time of 2:16.76, and Sierra Mercer in eighth place with a time of 2:17.91.
Olivia Lee dominated the 500 freestyle, finishing first with a time of 5:15.22. Mercer secured fifth place with a time of 6:17.49, while Bonaccorso finished sixth with a time of 6:32.32.
Gish claimed first place in the 100 backstroke with a time of 56.15. Dylan Docter finished third with a time of 1:00.72, followed by Sarah Iturbe in fourth place with a time of 1:01.83, and Dahlia Kamine in 11th place with a time of 1:24.36.
Walklett secured first place in the 100 breaststroke with a time of 1:05.31. Megan Lee finished third with a time of 1:06.58, while Samantha Brown finished 11th with a time of 1:25.40.
The 200 medley relay team, consisting of Olivia Lee, Leena Kamins, Docter and Iturbe, finished second with a time of 1:59.10. Megan Lee finished second in the 200 individual medley with a time of 2:09.58, followed by Olivia Lee in third place with a time of 2:15.79.
Docter claimed second place in the 100 freestyle with a time of 54.83, while Iturbe finished third with a time of 55.76. Kamins finished 11th with a time of 1:02.68. In the 50 freestyle, Kamins secured 10th place with a time of 28.15.
The boys’ squad also finished as the league runner-up after scoring 272.5 team points in the finals.
Henry Yang secured first place in the 200 individual medley with a time of 1:57.01. David Yu finished seventh with a time of 2:27.95, while Corbin Paxton finished eighth with a time of 2:31.74.
In the 100 breaststroke, Yang claimed first place with a time of 59.18. Elliott Oakes finished seventh with a time of 1:12.84, followed by Daniel Mahoney in ninth place with a time of 1:19.37.
The 200 medley relay team of Kai Timbadia, Isaac Jung, Mason Perrigue and Oakes clinched second place with a time of 1:49.54. Jung secured second place in the 200 freestyle with a time of 1:50.81. Perrigue finished fifth with a time of 1:59.73, Oakes finished sixth with a time of 2:05.37, and Arek Kedeshian finished eighth with a time of 2:07.60.
Ridley Tolleson finished second in the 50 freestyle with a time of 22.75, while Aram Kedeshian finished fifth with a time of 25.73.
Jung claimed second place in the 100 butterfly with a time of 54.46. Paxton finished seventh with a time of 1:05.04, and Yu finished eighth with a time of 1:08.95.
The 200 freestyle relay team, consisting of Athan Boutakidis, Yang, Tolleson and Timbadia, secured second place with a time of 1:30.04. In the 400 freestyle relay, the team of Jung, Tolleson, Yang and Boutakidis finished second with a time of 3:18.88.
Perrigue finished third in the 500 freestyle with a time of 5:25.61, while Arek Kedeshian finished fifth with a time of 5:49.50. Timbadia finished fourth in the 100 backstroke with a time of 1:04.20. Tolleson secured fifth place in the 100 freestyle with a time of 50.93, followed by Timbadia in sixth place with a time of 51.13, and Aram Kedeshian in 10th place with a time of 57.06.
FLINTRIDGE SACRED HEART
The Flintridge Sacred Heart varsity swimming and diving team placed sixth in the Mission League finals with 222 team points on April 18.
Guinevere Andrews secured third place in the 100 butterfly with a time of 1:02.83.
The team comprising Grace Anich, Marisol Cowles, Siri Beijar and Andrews clinched fifth place in the 400 freestyle relay with a time of 4:02.67. In the 200 freestyle relay, Anich, Beijar, Cowles and Andrews finished sixth with a time of 1:49.31, while Sienna Dimas, Mercy Bruchy, Charlotte Wilson and Nairi Keshishian placed 11th with a time of 2:10.78. The 200 medley relay team of Mia Casalino, Bruchy, Wilson and Dimas finished 10th with a time of 2:33.32.
Cowles claimed 10th place in the 200 freestyle with a time of 2:18.36, followed by Wilson in 15th place with a time of 2:34.14. Anich secured 10th place in the 200 individual medley with a time of 2:34.91.
In the 100 freestyle, Cowles finished 11th with a time of 1:00.58, while Wilson finished 12th with a time of 1:08.62. Beijar claimed 12th place in the 50 freestyle with a time of 28.30 seconds, while Anich also finished 12th in the 100 breaststroke with a time of 1:19.22. Andrews finished sixth in the 100 backstroke with a time of 1:04.43, followed by Beijar in 13th place with a time of 1:14.98, and Bruchy in 16th with a time of 1:26.07.
ST. FRANCIS
The St. Francis High School varsity swimming and diving team placed seventh in the Mission League finals with 170 team points on April 18.
Donovan Esquivel, Danial Jamshidi, Cooper Klosterman and Owen Bollert placed sixth in the 200 freestyle relay with a time of 1:37.57. Nathan Kim, Jack Pemberton, Bollert and Esquivel secured seventh place in the 400 freestyle relay with a time of 3:45.75. In the 200 medley relay, Jamshidi, Klosterman, Pemberton and Bollert finished eighth with a time of 1:52.99.
Esquivel claimed 10th place in the 200 freestyle with a time of 2:00.77. Bollert finished 11th in the 100 butterfly with a time of 56.67, followed by Pemberton in 18th place with a time of 1:07.11, and Ahmad Kandil in 19th place with a time of 1:08.11.
Pemberton secured 13th place in the 500 freestyle with a time of 6:15.74, while Jamshidi also finished 13th in the 100 backstroke with a time of 1:08.28.
Esquivel claimed 15th in the 100 breaststroke with a time of 1:09.05, followed by Klosterman in 16th place with a time of 1:12.62. Nicholas Karamian was 17th with a time of 1:15.90, while Hudson Snyder finished 12th with a time of 1:21.57. Snyder also placed 16th in the 200 individual medley with a time of 2:41.63.
First published in the May 2 print issue of the Outlook Valley Sun.
