High School State Championships: CIF Southern 2A Boys and Girls

RIVERSIDE, California, May 15. CRESCENTA Valley High School boys' relay team of freshman Edward Yi, junior Harrison Thai, Louis Wojciechowski and junior Young Tae Seo provided the only new CIF Division 2 mark this year with their 3:05.50. The CIF Division 2 meet was held May 11-12 in Riverside.

That, combined with a 200 medley relay victory (Thai, junior Jacob Ksendzov, Tae Seo and junior Antonio Camarillo, 1:35.51), plus two wins apiece from Tae Seo (500 free, 4:28.95; 100 breast, 55.91) and Thai (100 back, 50.31; 200 IM, 1:48.86), enabled Crescenta Valley to pull out a 301-293 victory over Damien. Los Osos claimed the third spot (203), with Murrieta Valley (198.5) and Peninsula (184.5) not too far behind.

Damien's only first-place showing came in the 200 free relay, with sophomores Michael Forbes and Adam Nelson joining forces with seniors Austin Miller and Jason Haney to defeat Los Osos' squad of sophomores Kyle and Kevin Coan, senior Ryan Penney and junior Nick Bell, 1:25.30-1:25.49. Kyle Coan earned first-place standings in the 100 free (45.14, just 5-hundredths ahead of Wojciechowski) and 200 free (1:38.13).

Seniors B.J. Burnside from Villa Park (50 free, 20.57) and Brandon Porter of Murrieta Valley (100 fly, 49.54) were the other individual event winners.

Esperanza High won the girls team trophy comfortably with 300 points, ahead of Foothill (237), Palm Springs (194), Vista Murrieta (174) and Upland (157.5).

Esperanza was led by double-event champ Michaela Merlihan. The junior found herself atop the podium after both the 200 free (1:49.94) and 500 free (4:50.59). Also claiming two wins were Upland freshman Sonia Wang in the 100 fly (54.72) and 200 IM (2:00.57), plus Chaparral junior Kate Santilena (100 free, 51.49; 100 back, 56.31). The other individual event titles went to Hannah Evans, a senior at Vista Murrieta (50 free, 24.06) and Ashley Tse, a junior at Ayala (100 breast, 1:03.47).

Three different teams scored relay triumphs. The 200 medley relay went to Chaparral's quartet of junior Mariam Lowe, freshman Lauren Wood, Santilena and sophomore Marianna Acosta (1:51.12). Vista Murrieta sophomores Angie Phetbenjakul and Leanne Sun joined seniors Marisa Rack and Hannah Evans for a 1:38.72 in the 200 free relay, just ahead of Foothill's freshman Emily Konishi, sophomore Rachel Thompson, junior Nicole Stansfield and senior Hannah Kruip's 1:38.74. Foothill won the final event of the girls meet with the team of Konishi, junior Brenna Thomas, Kruip and Thompson (3:31.74).

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