RIVERSIDE Edgar Chin’s dreams are immense, but so is his determination, a powerful combination for any soon-to-be high school graduate.
The Fairmont Prep swimmer is aiming to qualify for the U.S. Olympic Trials this summer and blaze one more 100-yard breaststroke for the Huskies.
“I’m trying to go for a 53 (seconds),” Chin said Wednesday afternoon following his record-setting performance at the CIF-SS Division 4 swimming prelims at Riverside City College.
Chin didn’t approach the rarified, 53-second range in qualifying for Friday’s 5 p.m. finals, but he smashed his Division 4 record by almost a second.
Chin, the two-time defending breaststroke champion in Division 4, stopped the clock in 55.72 seconds, seven one-hundredths of a second off his lifetime-best and county-leading 55.65, which he posted in mid-April.
The UC San Diego-bound senior ranks ninth in county history, but only four county boys have dipped below 55 seconds. John Criste set the county record (54.l4) for Mission Viejo in 2007.
Chin is pushing for a 53 as he chases a berth in the U.S. Olympic Trials in the 100-meter breaststroke.
“I didn’t rest much for this meet because we’re going to go straight back into training (afterward),” said Chin, who trains year-round with the La Mirada Armada.
“I feel that I should be in good enough shape where I could go really good times (Friday).”
He wasn’t the only swift breaststroker Wednesday. At the evening Division 3 prelims, Valencia junior Jacob Christensen sliced nearly two seconds off his seeded time to qualify first for Thursday’s 5 p.m. finals in a school-record and lifetime-best 56.72.
“My approaches to the wall weren’t that good … but (in) my pull-downs and in the middle of the pool, I was going really hard,” he said. “I have to get that auto (All-America cut).”
Christensen shattered Chris Rosales’ 2006 school record of 58.04.
Chin also qualified first in the 200 individual medley (2:00.40), which he won last season. His senior teammate, Evan Munaretto, claimed top seeds in the 200 (1:42.14) and 500 (4:39.92) freestyles.
Freshman Dominic Falcon of Ocean View grabbed the No. 2 seeds in both events with lifetime-best times (1:46.09, 4:46.54).
Falcon’s twin brother, Nico, and older brother, Mario, were part of a large presence for the Golden West League champion. The Seahawks’ girls medley (2:02.82) and 400 free (3:56.96) relays qualified for finals, and Serena Ly reached the finals in the butterfly (1:03.96) and backstroke (1:03.86).
La Quinta’s Catherine Tran qualified fifth in the 200 individual medley (2:17.67) and fourth in the backstroke (1:02.31).
Defending Division 3 butterfly champion Rodrigo Baca of Kennedy qualified second with a time of 51.15.
Katella’s 400 free relay of Anthony Marin, Felipe Perez, Giovanni Marin and Stefan Vo claimed the 18th and final spot for the consolation finals with a 3:38.11.
In Division 3 girls, Saddleback Valley Christian’s Casey Cunningham and Western’s Jailey Reeves both advanced to two finals. Cunningham qualified third in the 200 free (1:54.02) and second in the 500 (5:05.84), and Reeves set school records en route to the No. 7 spot in the 50 free (24.51) and the No. 5 position in the backstroke (1:00.32).
Contact the writer: dalbano@ocregister.com
