LA HABRA – University’s boys and Santa Margarita’s girls will take large fleets to Riverside next week as they attempt to defend their CIF-SS Division 1 swimming and diving titles.
The Trojans will boast 25 individual entries while the Eagles will feature 29 individual entries, according to meet entries released Saturday by the section at Sonora. Both teams are also expected to contend in the three relays.
The section championships start Monday morning at Riverside City College with diving. The Division 1 swimming prelims are Thursday at 9 a.m. while the finals arrive Saturday at 5 p.m.
Loyola of Los Angeles, expected to be University’s top competition, has 22 individual entries. The Cubs were last season’s Division 1 runner-up.
JSerra’s girls, last season’s Division 1 runner-up, collected 14 individual entries. Lions coach Kevin Clements said Saturday that Stanford-bound sprinter Kaitlyn Albertoli, slowed Friday by illness, feels better.
The release of the entries also revealed several potential outstanding duels in Division 1.
One of the questions surrounding Santa Margarita was whether U.S. national team member Katie McLaughlin and rising freshman Samantha Shelton would both race the 200-yard freestyle. The Eagles opted to place the Mission Viejo Nadadores club teammates in the 200 free and McLaughlin and Shelton are seeded first-second.
Santa Margarita co-coach Rich Blanc said both wanted to race the 200 free and it made sense from a point strategy.
McLaughlin’s seed time of 1 minute, 47.76 seconds is well off her county and Division 1 record 1:44.66, but Shelton edged the Cal-bound senior in the event at the Trinity League finals Friday with a 1:47.78.
McLaughlin is seeded second to Corona del Mar freshman Eva Merrell in the 100 butterfly but her time (53.97) is well off her national private school record of 51.78.
Saturday’s entries also answered the question about Grant Shoults’ intentions in the 500 free. The Santa Margarita junior entered the distance event and could clash with reigning Division 1 champion Nick Norman of Capistrano Valley. Norman and Shoults also are Nadadores teammates. Norman’s seed time of 4:19.97 is just off the Division 1 record and Shoults’ entry follows closely at 4:21.13.
Norman and Shoults could become the first county boys to break 4:20 in the same race.
The Division 1 meet also features U.S. national team sprinter Abbey Weitzeil. The Saugus senior could be out to reclaim her American record in the 100 freestyle (46.29) that was snagged by Stanford’s Simone Manuel (46.09) at the NCAA meet in March. Weitzeil also is in striking distance of the American record in the 50 free.
Crean Lutheran’s girls move up to Division 2 with 16 individual entries, including Ella Eastin in the 200 individual medley and breaststroke. She holds the national private school record in the 200 IM.
Contact the writer: dalbano@ocregister.com
