Luka Mijatovic and Raya Mellot Earn Two Individual Top Seeds Apiece At CIF-North Coast Prelims ...Middle East

By Sophie Kaufman on SwimSwam

2025 CIF North Coast Section Swimming and Diving Championships – Prelims Recap

Luka Mijatovic did what he needed to during prelims of the CIF North Coast Championships. The national age group record holder and fast-rising distance star put himself in strong position to defend his 200 and 500 freestyle titles tomorrow evening.

Mijatovic got his individual event slate started in the 200 freestyle, swimming 1:37.19, an AA Automatic cut, to lead the way into the final. He’s six-tenths up on junior Ben Butler, who qualified second in 1:37.79. Butler was third in the 200 freestyle at this meet last year.

Later, Mijatovic qualified first for the 500 freestyle final with a 4:22.37. Earlier this year, Mijatovic fired off a 4:10.96 that shattered the U.S boys’ 15-16 national age group record. Even if he’s not as fast as that as he winds up for the state championships later this month, he could take a run at the North Coast Championship record, set by Alexei Sancov at 4:17.17 in 2018.

Another one of Sancov’s records is at risk as well. Butler rattled his 100 freestyle record during prelims. The Terra Linda junior swam a lifetime best 43.91, taking more than a second off the best he swam last week. It puts him just .31 seconds from the meet record of 43.60 that Sancov also established in 2018.

In the other boys’ sprint freestyle event, Simon Li has positioned himself to surge up the 50 freestyle standings. After finishing 6th in the event at this meet last year, Li popped a lifetime best 20.59 (AA Automatic) to lead a prelims field that had five boys break the 21 second barrier.

Meanwhile on the girls’ side, San Ramon Valley senior and Virginia commit Raya Mellott sailed through to finals as the top seed in the 200 IM (2:01.23) and 100 breaststroke (1:02.48) with two AA Automatic times. In the 200 IM, Granada High School junior Brooke Bennett, who finished third in the event last year, qualified second in a 2:01.63, less than a half-second from her lifetime best.

The Georgia commit is also the top seed heading into the 500 freestyle finals. She swam an AA Automatic time of 4:49.39, cruising to the top time of the morning by over three seconds. She’s sitting in front of a strong Amador Valley duo. Juniors Lillyana Caples (4:52.63) and Rylee Hutchinson (4:55.72) qualified second and third and are poised to rake in big points for their team.

Ella Busquets and Tim Wu joined Mijatovic and Mellott as swimmers who qualified first in two individual events today. Busquets swam lifetime bests in the 100 butterfly and 100 backstroke to touch first in both prelims. She swam 54.37 in the 100 butterfly, improving on the 54.60 she posted in April and coming just five-hundredths from the AA Automatic cut. She hit that cut in the 100 backstroke, posting a 53.36 personal best.

Wu, a Dougherty Valley junior verbally committed to Cal, lead the field in the 200 IM and 100 backstroke. He’s the defending 200 IM champion and traded the 100 fly (which he won last year) for the 100 backstroke this season. He owns a lifetime best of 1:45.24 in the 200 IM and cruised into the final with a 1:49.58 qualifying time. Then, he came a tenth away from his 100 backstroke personal best, swimming a 47.49.

The girls’ sprint freestyle finals are shaping up to be a great race between Campolindo freshman Stella Caples and Irvington sophomore Alison Su. Caples qualified first in the 50 freestyle, hitting a 23.11 to out-touch Su by five-hundredths. Su got the better of the freshman in the 100 freestyle prelims, hitting an AA Automatic time of 49.91, slightly off her 49.64 personal best. Caples qualified second in 50.52 but has been as fast as 49.39 though, so watch for her to strike back tomorrow.

The girls 200 freestyle should also be a good battle. Two freshmen, Cameron Forbes and Isabella Ferguson, were the top seeds on the psych sheet, but it’s junior McKinley Scobie and senior Elisabeth Butler that grabbed lanes four and five for the final. Scobie earned lane four with a 1:50.37, followed closely by Butler’s 1:50.43. Forbes swam 1:51.59 and Ferguson a 1:51.66, signaling they could close the gap quickly tomorrow.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Luka Mijatovic and Raya Mellot Earn Two Individual Top Seeds Apiece At CIF-North Coast Prelims

Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Luka Mijatovic and Raya Mellot Earn Two Individual Top Seeds Apiece At CIF-North Coast Prelims )

Also on site :

• Jordon Hudson accused of hijacking Bill Belichick commerical in a bikini to ‘hard launch’ relationship
• Pope Leo XIV Dons Traditional Red Mozzetta, Echoing Past Pontiffs
• Pro-Lifers Protest Law Attacking Conscience Protections in New South Wales, Australia