Santa Margarita Girls Win Back-to-Back CIF State Championship Titles, Claire Tuggle Swims 4:41 500

Photo Courtesy: Twitter, @CIFState

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The 2019 California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Swimming and Diving Championships took place on Saturday, May 11 at the Clovis Olympic Swim Complex in Fresno, Calif.

The Santa Margarita girls garnered a total of 230 points to handily win the state championship title for the second-straight year. Torrey Pines posted a total of 165 points for second, while third went to Saint Francis (134).

Click HERE for full results.

Top 5 Team Scores:

1. Santa Margarita – 230
2. Torrey Pines – 165
3. Saint Francis – 134
4. Miramonte – 122
5. Henry M. Gunn – 106

The meet began as the Torrey Pines team of Leah Coffin (26.10), Amelia Cho (28.82), Mia Kragh (23.49) and Kira Crage (22.78) won the opening 4×50 medley relay in dominant fashion. Their combined time of 1:41.20 eclipsed Davis’ state meet record set last season and was well ahead of runner-up Monte Vista (1:42.03) and third-place finisher Santa Margarita (1:43.20).

Santa Margarita’s Ella Ristic, who has verbally committed to Indiana for the fall of 2020, won the 200 free as the only swimmer in the field to crack the 1:46 mark. Her final time of 1:45.82 broke Kenisha Liu’s 2015 state mark of 1:46.14. Freshman phenom Claire Tuggle of Clovis North was also under the old record but fell to second in 1:46.04 while Granada’s Miranda Heckman took third in 1:46.22.

Monte Vista’s Zoie Hartman dominated the 200 IM from start to finish, winning by just under six seconds. The soon-to-be Georgia Bulldog posted a final time of 1:55.29, about a second off of Ella Eastin’s state record of 1:54.31. Second place went to Clovis’ Averee Preble in 2:01.24 and Acalanes’ Shelby Suppiger grabbed third in 2:02.15.

Anicka Delgado of Santa Margarita splashed-and-dashed her way to a 50 free title, stopping the clock in a swift 22.54. The future USC Trojan was just shy of the state record of 22.45 set by Amalie Fackenthal in 2018. Saint Francis’ Brooke Schaffer (22.76) and Crean Lutheran’s Mandy Brenner (22.82) finished second and third, respectively.

Murrieta Mesa’s Grace Bristow won the Paralympic 50 free in a quick 28.58, destroying the state meet record of 30.29 set by Patrick Henry’s Grace Lockwood last year. Also under the old mark was former record-holder Lockwood in 29.45 and Citrus Valley’s Kayla Aulis took third in 39.42.

El Toro’s Savannah Stocker dove to first on the 1-meter diving board, posting a final score of 538.75 en route to breaking the previous CIF state meet record. Mitty’s Remi Edvalson finished second with 527.15 total points while Alsio Niguel’s Brooke Earley was right behind in third with a score of 526.00.

After swimming the fly leg of the winning medley relay, Mia Kragh was back in the water and flew to the top of the podium in the 100 fly. Her time of 52.26 not only won the event by over a second, but broke Glendora’s Alexis Margett’s state mark of 52.74 set in 2017. Silver went to Delgado in 53.49 and Miramonte’s Sophia Kosturos earned bronze in 53.94.

Ristic was the first of four swimmers to sneak under the 50-second barrier in the 100 free, grabbing her second individual gold of the night after sprinting to the win in 49.24. Schaffer used a strong back-half to claim second place with a final time of 49.35 while Brenner again found herself in the third spot after clocking in at 49.88.

Bristow won her second event of the night, winning the Paralympic 100 free in 1:02.49 to again crush Lockwood’s CIF state record of 1:05.70. Lockwood took second in 1:04.48 to be under last year’s record and Citrus Valley’s Kayla Aulis finished third in 1:28.37.

After taking second in the 200 free, Tuggle redeemed herself by winning the 500 free by over four seconds. Her time of 4:41.60 was just shy of Miranda Heckman of Granda’s state meet record of 4:41.53 set two years ago. California’s Daniella Hawkins was second in 4:45.88 while Saint Francis’ Nicole Oliva was close behind in 4:46.03 for third.

Santa Margarita’s Delgado (22.91), Lindsay Ervin (23.11), Mia Ristic (23.15) and Ristic (22.80) dominated the 4×50 free relay, combining for a final time of 1:31.97 to win by just over three seconds en route to crushing their own meet record of 1:32.44 set last year. Taking a distant second was Granite Bay in 1:35.06 and Sacred Heart Prep finished third in 1:35.21.

Sophia Kosturos of Miramonte powered home to a win in the 100 back, touching the wall in 52.94 to win by nearly two full seconds. The UCLA commit eclipsed Sonia Wang of J. Serra’s 2015 state mark of 52.99. Los Alto’s Danielle Carter swam to second in 54.67 and Kosturos’ teammate, Margaux McDonald, finished third in 54.78.

Hartman’s second gold medal of the night came in the 100 breast, where she was the only athlete to break the minute-marker. Her final time of 59.92 was just shy of her own state record of 59.66 set last season. Gunn’s Melanie Julia was second in 1:01.44 and Valencia’s Ana Izabella Adame took third in 1:01.52.

The meet concluded as Santa Margarita’s E. Ristic (49.40), Ervin (50.40), Renner (50.94) and Delgado (49.82) secured their team title by winning the 4×100 free relay in 3:20.56, one second off their state record of 3:19.56 set in 2018. Saint Francis was second in 3:22.31 with Miramonte taking third in 3:25.21.

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Sasha Kocyk Andrews

4 years ago

Yay TP girls relay!!!!! And Yay Mia Kragh!!!!!

Anonymous

4 years ago

I believe the Miramonte Girls only had 4 athletes participating in the state meet and placed 4th overall, that’s pretty impressive. Their leadoff swimmer in the 4×100 free relay logged a 49:03, that was good enough to win the individual event.