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  • Santa Margarita’s Samantha Shelton is the Register’s female swimmer of...

    Santa Margarita’s Samantha Shelton is the Register’s female swimmer of the year.

  • The All-County 400 freestyle relay team from Santa Margarita: Mackenzie...

    The All-County 400 freestyle relay team from Santa Margarita: Mackenzie Degn, Isabela Patino, Emily Boggess and Samantha Shelton.

  • The All-County 200 free relay team from Santa Margarita: Mackenzie...

    The All-County 200 free relay team from Santa Margarita: Mackenzie Degn, Marriott Hoffmann, Jeni Griffin and Samantha Shelton.

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Dan Albano. Sports HS Reporter.

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

The joyful screams from the cluster of Santa Margarita girls echoed from under the diving tower at Riverside City College toward to the middle of the aquatics center and beyond.

“We were all gathered in a circle and we started screaming really loud out of excitement,” said Samantha Shelton, the new standout on the Eagles’ swimming team. “It was hard to understand because it was so loud.”

Santa Margarita and Shelton had plenty of reasons to let loose.

The Eagles overcame key departures to capture a third consecutive CIF-SS Division 1 title while Shelton navigated new challenges to help complete the mission.

For her efforts, Shelton is the Register’s girls swimmer of the year.

“What Samantha did this year may have been a surprise to some, but not to us,” Santa Margarita co-coach Rich Blanc said. “Her potential is unlimited.”

Shelton emerged at the CIF-SS Finals as Santa Margarita’s latest ace for the individual events and anchoring duties.

U.S. national team member and Olympic hopeful Katie McLaughlin mostly filled the roles the previous two seasons, but Shelton stepped in May 14, delivering her first two individual titles and a pair of anchor swims on two winning freestyle relays.

Shelton captured the 200-yard freestyle in a lifetime-best 1 minute, 45.06 seconds, placing her second in county history behind McLaughlin’s 1:43.01 in 2015.

Shelton has been known for her freestyle speed but showed another dimension with her victory in the 100 butterfly. She won a lifetime-best 53.72, becoming only the sixth county girls to break the 54-second barrier.

“I just wanted to do something that I don’t usually do,” she said. “It was really fun.”

Shelton produced some of her best work as a relay anchor, the spot once dominated by McLaughlin.

In the 200 free relay, Shelton split a 22.76 anchor to team with Mackenzie Degn, Marriott Hoffmann and Jeni Griffin for the victory in 1:34.02.

In the 400 free relay, she split an eye-popping 48.92 anchor to combine with Degn, Emily Boggess and Isabela Patino for the victory in 3:24.38.

Shelton focused on her teammates afterward the 400. The squad that graduated McLaughlin and Sydney Franzen and lost Camryn Barry to an out-of-state move won another title.

“It was really special because a lot of people didn’t think that we would pull it out,” she said. “We came together as a team and we won.”

Shelton’s clutch performances also marked progress in another area. She sometimes feels nervous before races but has started to sharpen her mental approach.

“Samantha’s confidence has grown immensely,” Santa Margarita co-coach Ron Blanc said.

Contact the writer: dalbano@ocregister.com