Numerous South Pasadena athletes auto-qualified for CIF or made consideration, and the girls’ relay team beat a 2015 record by almost one second.
Photos courtesy of SPHS Swim Team
Contributor
Swim competed at the Mt. SAC Winterfest on Saturday, March 15. Almost 2000 athletes from 65 high schools located all throughout California competed at the meet; 24 athletes from South Pasadena advanced to Finals.
Swimmers can auto-qualify for CIF at any season meet by swimming faster than an auto-qualification time, which differs between events. If a swimmer does not make the auto-qualification time but swims faster than the consideration time, they may still be selected for CIF. Both girls’ and boys’ swim are Division II.
On the girls’ team, freshman Claire Huang placed 15th in the 200-yard freestyle and 10th in the 200-yard individual medley. Huang made the auto time for CIF in both events.
Sophomore Chloe Kim placed 21st in the 50-yard freestyle, making consideration for CIF and almost auto-qualifying. Kim swam 25.17; the auto time is 25.08.
Senior Samantha Wong medaled third in the 500-yard freestyle, auto-qualifying for CIF and one second away from auto-qualifying for State. In the 200-yard freestyle, Wong broke her personal record, placed 12th at the meet, and auto-qualified for CIF. The South Pasadena 200-yard freestyle school record, set in 1998, is 1:54.03; Wong swam 1:54.11 at Mt. SAC.
Senior Ana Mancera Rodriguez swam the 100-yard breaststroke and placed 19th, making consideration for CIF. Rodriguez swam 1:07.95; auto-qualification is 1:07.82.
The girls’ 200-yard freestyle relay broke the school record set in 2015. Huang, Kim, Wong, and Rodriguez had already swam a relay time that auto-qualified them for CIF; at Mt. SAC, they beat the 1:42.48 school record with 1:41.69 and placed 10th at the meet. The girls’ 400-yard freestyle relay, which was also swam by Kim, Wong, Rodriguez, and Huang, was seeded 10th but medaled third; they made the auto time for CIF and are one second away from breaking a 1998 school record.
From the boys’ team, sophomore Philip Lim made CIF consideration in the 100-yard breaststroke; Lim was one second off from the auto time and one second away from breaking the South Pasadena school record set in 2014.
Freshman Lucas Hutchins swam the 100-yard backstroke and made CIF consideration. Hutchins was one second away from auto-qualification and placed 20th.
The boys’ 200 freestyle relay, swam by junior Noah Park, Lim, senior Ethan Kang, and Hutchins, took 1.5 seconds off their relay time and made CIF consideration.
Swim will have a home dual meet against San Marino and Blair on Monday, March 24 at 3:30 p.m.
