WALNUT — El Toro’s girls team and Calvary Chapel sprinter Bianca Nwaizu conjured memories of Orange County’s rich swimming history at the CIF-SS Division 3 championships Friday.
El Toro stirred program legends such as Michelle Perry, Julie Williams, coach Sheri Ross and Olympian Kaitlin Sandeno in contending for its first section title in more than three decades.
Nwaizu aimed to join Teagan O’Dell of Santa Margarita as the only county girl to ever break 59 seconds in the 100-yard breaststroke.
When the pool finally calmed after the finals session, El Toro celebrated its first championship since 1993 under Ross by jumping into the pool at Mt. SAC.
“That’s crazy,” El Toro senior Mallory Taylor said of the historic title. “We all worked really hard. This is really surreal for all of us.”
“Kaitlin was my coach when I was little (at the Lake Forest Dolphins),” she added.
Racing under first-year coach Bryan Dedeaux, El Toro’s girls started well by capturing the meet-opening 200 medley relay.
The team of junior Catalina Abdella, sophomore Camrynn Fellers, junior Peyton Dedeaux and Taylor delivered the Chargers’ first relay crown at the section finals since 1993 by clocking a time of 1 minute, 51.88 seconds.
The relay dropped about 3 1/2 seconds from prelims and accounted for the Chargers’ lone first-place finish.
The squad of seven swimmers used a well-rounded lineup to tally 190.5 points despite not having a 400 free relay in the consolation or championship finals.
Palm Desert finished second with 179 points, 20 points ahead of Crean Lutheran.
“The priority was getting the kids together as a team,” said coach Dedeaux, who has joined forces SwimNation. “We just wanted to make sure that they really knew that to be great … you have to be a team. That’s all we focused on all year.”
El Toro’s lineup also featured Arizona State-bound water polo player Lulu Gaetano (Arizona State), freshman Emily Camarena and senior Lily Henry.
Nwaizu brushed the minute barrier in the breaststroke by touching first in 1:00.03.
“I was like ‘Bro’ when I touched the wall,” Nwaizu said of narrowly missing the 59-second club. “It’s fine. I’ve done (a time of 59 seconds) before. I can do it again.”
Nwaizu broke her own Division 3 record from prelims (1:00.44) and maintained her county lead this season. O’Dell’s county-record of 59.73 stands from 2023.
Earlier in the meet, Nwaizu won the 100 butterfly in 56.24.
Nwaizu is the defending state champion in the breaststroke but she won’t race at the event next week in Fresno because of the upcoming nationals in Indianapolis.
Sonora’s girls finished fifth with 153 points.
Cal State Bakersfield-bound Mayu Yager helped lead the Raiders by winning the 200 individual medley in a lifetime-best 2:06.74 and placing second in the 500 free in a season-best 4:59.76.
She took second in the 500 free to her La Mirada Armada club team Irene Kim from Wilson of Hacienda Heights (4:56.37).
Sunny Hills’ boys won the medley relay en route to a fourth-place finish in team points. The team of Cheney Mo, Liam Weinreich, Miles Kim and David Kim combined for a 1:37.60 and the school’s first boys relay title since 1973.
El Modena junior Barron Murdock placed second in the boys breaststroke in 58.14, about a half-a-second drop from prelims.
In other results, Miles Blackson-Dunbar of Crossroads broke the 20-second barrier for the first time in a high school meet by winning the 50 free in 19.74. The 6-foot-4, 190-pound junior also won the 100 back in 48.70.
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