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Edison's Diggy Riley is the boys swimming coach of the year for 2013-14.
Edison’s Diggy Riley is the boys swimming coach of the year for 2013-14.
Dan Albano. Sports HS Reporter.

// MORE INFORMATION: Staff Mug Shot taken August 26, 2010 : by KATE LUCAS, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER.

The progress of Edison’s boys swim team in one season was startling.

The Chargers climbed from a runner-up finish in the Sunset League in 2013 to undefeated league champions this spring. And at the CIF Division 1 finals, they sprung from 16th last season to a third-place finish earlier this month in Riverside.

At the helm of the turnaround was second-year Coach Diggy Riley, The Register’s 2014 boys swim coach of the year.


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Riley, a swim coach in the program since 2002, blended talented club swimmers, including a few from Golden West, with strong swimmers from his water polo team such Alec Niederland, Ryan Warde and Troy Oates.

“He was kind of the catalyst for everything,” junior Thomas Smith said of Riley. “He was the guy who was always upbeat. He was the guy who was always pumped up and fired up and ready to go.

“And in return, it was natural for the athletes to respond to that. He was putting us in a comfortable position to succeed.”

Edison sprinted to a 5-0 record in league and first place at the league meet. The Chargers won eight of the 11 events at league finals to score 574 points, outdistancing runner-up Newport Harbor by 157.

Smith, Wade Nelson and Niederland each won two individual league crowns.

“I know (last season) stung because (our guys) talked about it,” Riley said of an 86-84 loss at Los Alamitos. “It fueled them to a phenomenal year.”

Edison also finished ahead of county powers Capistrano Valley and Corona del Mar to take second to Loyola of Los Angeles in the teams’ Division 1 showcase in March.

The Chargers finishing kick at CIF was highlighted by a school record in the 400 free relay. Niederland, Nathan Torres, Thomas Gillespie and Smith finished fourth and were slightly faster in prelims with a 3:04.76 to break the school record. The 2009 school record of 3:05.27 included Tom Shields’ legendary 42.88 anchor split.

Edison’s 3:04.76 ranks sixth in county history. The Chargers also set school records this spring in the medley (1:33.69) and 200 free relays (1:25.49) and received school records from Smith in the 200 individual medley (1:49.72) and backstroke (49.09).

The turnaround added to the family legacy at Edison. Riley played water polo and swam for his father, Lou Riley, at the school before transferring to Newport Harbor. And this spring, Shields’ aunt, Holly Shields-Crow, became an assistant coach.

Contact the writer: dalbano@ocregister.com