The LAHS varsity swim team made its strongest showing at the CCS finals in over a decade, with the boys team finishing in fourth and the girls in tenth. Even with a torrential downpour, the Eagles stepped up in the competitive atmosphere, performing better than expected on Friday, May 3 and Saturday, May 4. 

“Our athletes have been working really hard in and out of the pool all season long,” Head Coach Seth Tasman said. “It was great for us to show what we can do at our championship meet.”

At CCS, multiple individual swimmers and relay teams set six school records, two of which were first-place finishes. Freshman Maren Byrne was the CCS Champion in the 200-yard individual medley with a time of 2:01.49. The boys 200-yard freestyle relay made up of seniors Sam Lyon and Trent Stegina, and juniors Henry Heit and Issac Shang took first place with a time of 1:24:30. 

“After preliminaries, we realized we had a shot at something, so we all understood that this one was something we should look forward to,” Isaac said. 

“We have a lot more depth this year than last year,” Henry said. “We only had two point scorers at CCS last year, but everyone finished in some events this year.” 

The girls 200-yard freestyle relay, consisting of Maren, freshman Maya Bromberg, and sophomores Sophia Boschken and Ariana Yurchenko, placed fifth, marking a massive improvement from last year when the team did not qualify for states. 

On May 4, the second day of CCS, heavy rain persisted until halfway through the meet. According to Tasman, the rain was an extra challenge for the swimmers, as staying warm between events plays an important role in performance.  

“It was terrible conditions for a swim meet, but I think our athletes overcame a lot of adversity,” Tasman said. “We still had some of the best swims of the year.”

Despite the bad weather, excitement still ran through the Eagles. Since CCS is one of the only two postseason meets, individuals aimed to make the most of the experience, accomplishing whatever goals they set for themselves.

“Everyone there is a step above anyone from a regular dual meet, so there’s a lot more competition,” Isaac said. “It’s a lot more intense.”

On May 10th and 11th at the CIF state championships in Clovis, California, the boys 200-free relay placed 11th with a time of 1.24.58 and the girls 200-free relay placed 26th with a time of 1.39.00. Maren was the state champion in the 200-yard individual medley with a time of 2:00.00, a new personal best for her. The boys team finished 28th overall, and the girls team finished 36th. 

“We’re a lot faster this year,” Isaac said. “It’s really great to put some points up and break our old records from last year and just see everyone go fast.” 

Other school records from CCS:

• Maren finished first in the 200-yard individual medley in 2:01.49 and finished sixth in the 100-yard breaststroke in 1:04.16.
• Henry, Sam, Issac and Trent finished first in the boys 200-yard freestyle relay in 1:24.30.and second in the boys 200-yard medley relay in 1:32.77.
• Issac placed fourth in the boys 100-yard butterfly in 50.22.
• Trent placed sixth in the boys 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 56.44.