Crean Lutheran’s high-powered girls swim team has set the stage for an intriguing 100-yard freestyle and a few other events this week at the Academy League finals at Kennedy.
The defending CIF Division 3 champions have entered county-recorded holder Lindsey Engel along with 400 free relay candidates Emily Eastin and Tianna Jorgenson in the 100 freestyle.
The girls occupy the top-three seeds going into Tuesday’s prelims and could deliver some of the fastest times of the week during Thursday’s finals.
The Stanford-bound Engel also is racing the 100 backstroke. She sits second in county history in the dorsal event with a 53.60 from her sophomore season.
Reigning Register female swimmer of the Ella Eastin of Crean is entered in the 200 freestyle and the 100 butterfly. The junior is the former county record in the butterfly and could break into the county’s all-time Top 25 in the 200 free.
KAO RECORD WATCH
Kennedy’s Ryan Kao will race the 50 freestyle and 100 breaststroke – two events in which he doesn’t own Empire League records in – at this week’s league meet. The Cal-bound senior is part of eight other league marks.
McLAUGHLIN WATCH
Santa Margarita junior Katie McLaughlin will race one of her county-record events, the 100 butterfly, and the 50 free at the Trinity League meet. In the 50 free, she could duel her former teammate, Kaitlyn Albertoli of JSerra, in what could be the best individual duel of the week.
Albertoli is the defending league champion and league-record holder with a 22.91 last season.
