2023 CIF-SS Division II Championships: Daniel Li Cracks 100 BR Meet Record in Prelims

2023 CIF-SS Swimming and Diving Division II Championships

• April 27-May 6, 2023
• Riverside Aquatic Complex
• SCY (25 Yards)
• Results
• Defending Champions:
  • Girls: Crescenta Valley
  • Boys: Murrieta Mesa

Boys Prelims Recap

The biggest swim of the 2023 CIF-SS Division II Championships prelims came in the final individual event of the session. Junior Daniel Li ripped a 53.12 in the 100 breaststroke for a new meet record. Li’s time breaks the mark of 53.66 that Tona Zinn set in 2021. What made the difference for Li was his back half; he split 27.81 compared to Zinn’s 28.29.

Li was in the race where Zinn set that mark, finishing fifth as a freshman with a then-best 57.16. It shows just how much Li has improved in two years: his personal best now sits at 52.92, a 4.24 second drop. He’ll get another chance to lower the record in finals, where he’s the top qualifier by over three seconds. He’s also the top seed in the 200 IM, clocking 1:49.99. It’ll be a closer race there as UNLV commit Wyatt Miner qualified second in 1:51.38, but Li still looks primed for two individual titles.

Cal Baptist commit Andrew Teh pulled off the 100 fly/100 back double well, coming out as the top qualifier in both events. In the 100 fly, he was the only one to hit the AA cut, clocking 49.57. However, two other boys–Matthew Lee and Taisei Saito–also went sub-50, setting up for a good race in the finals. Teh led the way in the 100 back with a 49.94, the only boy in the field under 50 seconds, giving him a more decisive advantage there.

St. Francis junior Nathan Kim opened up a big lead through the middle 100 of the 200 freestyle. He stopped the clock at 1:37.83, a new personal best and the fastest time in the field by 3.72 seconds. Kim’s previous best was a 1:38.01 from Winter Juniors – West, where he finished 18th.

Kim was just off his personal best in the 100 free, clocking 44.68 for the fastest prelims time. He’s got a decent advantage in that event as well, as Joey Chang is the second fastest qualifier in 46.10. Last year, Kim finished second in both the 100 and 200 freestyle at the Division III championships.

Girls Prelims Recap

In the girls’ meet, one of the top performers was freshman Ava De Anda. The Poly Riverside swimmer–who broke three school records in her first high school meet–came away as the fastest qualifier in both the 200 free (1:48.67) and 100 free (49.57). After breaking 50 for the first time at Carlsbad Sectionals in March 2023, De Anda set a new personal best of 49.57 here in prelims. She established herself as the one to beat, with the second fastest qualifier not breaking 51 seconds.

It was a similar story in the 200 free. There, she was about four-tenths off her personal best, but 1:48.67 was more than enough to set her apart from the field. She was the only girl sub-1:50, with sophomore Addie Gish (top qualifier in the 100 back) clocking in at 1:51.39. Additionally, De Anda anchored both the 200 medley and 200 freestyle relay, splitting 22-points on both.

Senior Kennedy McPhail led off both those relays for Poly Riverside, and also earned top seed in the 50 freestyle with a personal best 23.84. McPhail, who’s heading to Fresno State in the fall, clipped nine-hundredths off her personal best, and was the only girl sub-24. In the race for second, Ayla Kailiponi, Allison Cohen, and Amber Paul are separated by about a tenth, promising a good battle for the podium.

Besides De Anda, the only other girl to claim lane 4 in two individual events was Jasmine Liu. The Esperanza senior swam a lifetime best 2:03.94 to top the heats of the 200 IM. It’s a best by about eight-tenths, breaking her old mark from March 2022. She also tied her 100 breast personal best with her 1:03.15.

Liu is committed to head to Minnesota this fall–she’s the favorite in the 200 IM by a good margin, but the 100 breast will be a closer race. She’ll have to hold off Cerritos sophomore Clemence Choy, who’s sitting second at 1:03.69. Choy had a faster back half than Liu did, which could make things interesting down the closing stretch.

Full List of Top Qualifiers

• Girls 200 Medley Relay: 1:47.20 — Poly Riverside
• Boys 200 medley relay: 1:33.64 — San Marino
• Girls 200 Freestyle: 1:48.67 — Ava De Anda, Poly Riverside
• Boys 200 Freestyle: 1:37.83 — Nathan Kim, St Francis
• Girls 200 IM: 2:03.94 — Jasmine Liu, Esperanza
• Boys 200 IM: 1:49.99 — Daniel Li, San Marino
• Girls 50 Freestyle: 23.84 — Kennedy McPhail, Poly Riverside
• Boys 50 Freestyle: 20.69 — Joey Chang, Mission Viejo
• Girls 100 Butterfly: 55.10 — Angelica Mom, Walnut
• Boys 100 Butterfly: 49.57 — Andrew Teh, Crean Lutheran
• Girls 100 Freestyle: 49.57 — Ava De Anda, Poly Riverside
• Boys 100 Freestyle: 44.68 — Nathan Kim, St Francis
• Girls 500 Freestyle: 4:57.33 — Devon Silberman, Aliso Niguel
• Boys 500 Freestyle: 4:35.78 — Alexander Cole, El Segundo
• Girls 200 Freestyle Relay: 1:36.91 — Poly Riverside
• Boys 200 Freestyle Relay: 1:26.02 — Crean Lutheran
• Girls 100 Backstroke: 55.19 — Addie Gish, Flintridge Prep
• Boys 100 Backstroke: 49.94 — Andrew Teh, Crean Lutheran
• Girls 100 Breaststroke: 1:03.15 — Jasmine Liu, Esperanza
• Boys 100 Breaststroke: 53.12 — Daniel Li, San Marino
• Girls 400 Freestyle Relay: 3:36.25 — El Segundo
• Boys 400 Freestyle Relay: 3:07.17 — El Segundo