Santa Margarita Star Teagan O’Dell Scares Olympic Medalist’s Orange County Record in 200 Free

2024 Trinity League Championships

• April 23-26, 2024
• SCY (25 yards)
• Results on MeetMobile: “Trinity League Championships”
• Results on the Web

Team Scores

Girls

1. Santa Margarita – 668
2. JSerra – 453
3. Mater Dei – 338
4. Lutheran-Orange – 276
5. Rosary – 129

Boys

1. Santa Margarita – 682
2. Mater Dei – 420
3. JSerra – 386
4. Servite – 175
5. St. John Bosco – 157
6. Luteran-Orange – 145

Santa Margarita junior Teagan O’Dell nearly added another Orange County record to her collection at Friday’s Trinity League Championships.

The Cal commit (’25) won the 200-yard freestyle in a personal-best time of 1:43.26, just a couple tenths off the Orange County standard of 1:43.01 set by Olympic silver medalist Katie McLaughlin back in 2015. O’Dell dropped almost a tenth off her previous-best 1:43.35 from December, moving up to 19th in the U.S. girls 17-18 national age group (NAG) rankings. Only Junior National Teamer Madi Mintenko has been faster so far this high school season in the 200 free (1:43.15).

O’Dell also claimed the 100 back crown in 51.38, about four tenths shy of her own Orange County record from last year’s CIF State victory (50.96). As a sophomore last May, she punctuated Santa Margarita’s fourth consecutive state title with a national high school record in the 200 IM (1:53.38). O’Dell also owns Orange County records in the 50 free (22.40), 100 free (48.55), and 100 breaststroke (59.73) along with the aforementioned standards in the 100 back and 200 IM.

Fellow Cal commit (’25) Gracyn Aquino also brought home two individual wins to lead the Santa Margarita girls to a comfortable Trinity League victory with 705 points ahead of Mater Dei (371), JSerra (255), Rosary (210), and Lutheran-Orange (185). Aquino swept the 50 free (22.87) and 100 free (49.95), the latter of which leads all of Orange County. The reigning state champion in the 50 free (personal-best 22.68 last May) dipped under 50 seconds in the 100 free for the first time, dropping a few tenths off her previous-best 50.32 from her 5th-place finish at CIFs as a sophomore.

JSerra junior Sydney Willson was the only swimmer under five minutes in the 500 free with a winning time of 4:54.95. Willson, the daughter of Olympic great Janet Evans and a Princeton commit (’25), has been as fast as 4:50.27 during last May’s 3rd-place finish at CIFs.

Other individual winners included Santa Margarita juniors Chloe Stinson in the 100 fly (54.35) and Victoria Mori in the 100 breast (1:04.26). JSerra freshman Claire Wilson claimed the 200 IM title in 2:06.85, dropping more than two seconds off her best time from last November.

Another Orange County record was threatened by Santa Margarita senior Daniel Verdolaga in the 100 fly (46.84). It was the Army commit’s first foray into sub-47 second territory, coming within half a second of Harvard freshman David Schmitt‘s record of 46.47 from last season. Verdolaga’s best time before Friday stood at 47.01 from December. He earned a second individual title in the 200. IM (1:48.49), reaching the wall within a second of his personal-best 1:47.62 from last May’s 4th-place finish at CIFs.

Hunter Cehelnik also won multiple individual events for the Santa Margarita boys, who cruised to the Trinity League title with 698 points ahead of Mater Dei (498), Servite (297), St. John Bosco (84), and Lutheran-Orange (31). The UCSD commit (’24) clocked winning times of 20.55 in the 50 free and 44.68 in the 100 free. Cehelnik was even faster in the 50 free prelims at 20.48, equaling his lifetime best from a CIF prelims relay leadoff last May.

Santa Margarita also secured individual titles courtesy of senior Jerry Yan in the 100 back (49.32) and freshman Luke Collins in the 500 free (4:33.80). Yan, a Columbia commit, dropped a few tenths off his best 100 back time from last June while Collins knocked almost four seconds off his best 500 free time from last month.

Mater Dei sophomore Elonzo Santos triumphed in the 100 breast with a personal-best 55.53, exactly four tenths quicker than his previous-best 55.93 from December.

California’s top swimmers will head to sectionals next week before the 2024 CIF State Championships take place from May 9-11 at the Clovis Olympic Swim Complex.