Laguna Beach girls, Huntington Beach boys repeat as Wave League swim champions
The Laguna Beach High girls’ swim team knew it was going to be in a tough battle against Edison for the Wave League crown on Thursday.
It certainly wasn’t ideal when the Breakers learned their top club swimmer, junior Jana Jocic, would be out sick for the league finals at Golden West College.
“It’s really upsetting, but it’s giving us more heart to want to win for her and to prove that we can do it without her,” Laguna sophomore Ava Knepper said during Friday’s meet.
The water polo girls needed to step up, and they did.
Laguna Beach still earned its second straight league title, finishing with 370 points. Edison totaled 365 points, followed by Huntington Beach and Marina.
Huntington Beach’s boys, who last year claimed their first league title since 1938, did not have to wait so long for their third crown in program history. The deep Oilers finished on top yet again with 454 points, followed by second-place Edison (325), Laguna Beach and Marina.
Laguna Beach and Edison’s girls combined to win 10 races, but the Breakers finished on top, like they did in a narrow 85-84 league dual meet win on March 15. They led throughout on Friday but had to sweat it out after Edison’s Julianne Bennett, Allegra Goal, Gaby Kelly and Lily Larson won the meet-ending 400 free relay.
“I never doubted [them],” said Laguna Beach coach Kari Damato, who had only one other club swimmer competing Friday in sophomore Addie Hudzinski. “This team has heart. I think they have pride in our school, and they are always going to give it 110%. I think that translates everywhere.”
Knepper, an emerging star for the girls’ water polo team, showed she could shine in a swimming setting as well. She won the 50 free in 24.31, and the 100 free in 52.96. Laguna freshman Kara Carver finished in third and second place, respectively, in each race.
“I’m really proud of her,” Knepper said. “She’s basically what I was last year as a freshman, so I’m also really excited for Kara as well to come with me on our journey. I just think we’re going to be unstoppable as a duo. It’s going to be so fun.”
Breakers senior Ava Houlahan won the 100 breaststroke (1:00.12) and Laguna Beach also won the 200 medley and 200 free relays.
Kelly, a freshman who swims club for Golden West, also shined at her first league finals. She won the 200 individual medley (2:12.04) and 500 free (5:07.75), and each time was a personal-best.
“I was pretty excited to do that at my first high school league championships,” she said. “That was pretty cool.”
Kelly is the rare club swimmer who also plays water polo. She helped contribute to a big season for the Edison girls’ water polo team this year, as the Chargers made their first section final.
Edison’s Bennett won the backstroke and was second in the butterfly, while Huntington Beach’s Grace Brehm won the breaststroke and took second place in the 50 free.
Huntington Beach’s boys, undefeated in dual meets the last two years, were just too deep even after losing senior Caden Cunningham during the meet. Coach Ryan Camps said that Cunningham appeared to fracture his knuckle while reaching for the wall as he won the 50 freestyle. He was taken to the hospital.
But the Oilers finished first through third in both the 200 medley relay and 200 free relay, highlighting their depth. Sophomore Tas Palcza set an individual record, winning the 200 IM in a school-record time of 1:53.20. The old record, held by Steve West, had stood since 1990. Palcza also won the breaststroke in 57.42.
“I’ve been talking to Steve West about it, getting tips from him,” Palcza said. “It feels really good to bring him down. I feel like [the record] was up there for too long, so I’m glad that I could wipe it off. I love Mr. West, but it feels great.”
Hudson Ruth won the backstroke for the Oilers.
“I’m so proud of this team,” team captain Nick Olquin said. “We value the process every day we come to practice, the weight room, everything. We value the process, and it shows with how we perform in the pool. We all work together.”
Senior Alexander Smedley was a double-winner for the Edison boys, winning the 200 free (1:42.47) and butterfly (50.23), with each time his best.
“I’m glad I have a kind of home-field advantage, slightly,” said Smedley, who also swims club for Golden West, with a smile. “Club swim is the more serious one. High school swim, I’m serious but I like to enjoy it. It’s all about the teamwork.”
The top swimmers will now prepare for next week’s CIF Southern Section preliminaries and finals, held at Marguerite Aquatics Complex in Mission Viejo.
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