Shoults’ 2 National HS Records Highlight 2016 CIF-SS D1 Finals

2016 California Interscholastic Federation Southern Section Swimming & Diving Championships

• Diving: Monday, May 9, 2016
• Swimming: Prelims – Thursday, May 12; Finals – Saturday, May 14, 2015
• Location: Riverside City College
• Defending Champions: Santa Margarita girls, University boys (2015 D1 Results)
• Psych Sheet: Division I
• Live Results: Available
• Championship Central

Boys’ Meet

Loyola, 2016 CIF-SS D1 champions. Photo: Anne Lepesant

Loyola’s depth and breadth earned the Cubs a well-deserved team title at the 2016 CIF-Southern Section Division I Championships but it was Santa Margarita’s Grant Shoults who stole the show. The unshaved, untapered senior unleashed the fastest 200 freestyle and 500 freestyle in history at his final high school meet.

Loyola got on the board with a win in the opening event, the 200 medley relay. Junior Samuel Jo (23.60), seniors Willie Mamer (25.42) and Nick Bell (22.44), and junior Marko Vavic (20.58) combined for 1:32.04 to top Dana Hills (1:32.66) and Corona del Mar (1:34.00).

Santa Margarita’s Shoults then stepped up to the blocks and began his assault on the record books. Knowing that Granada senior Maxime Rooney had broken the national high school record in the 200 free hours earlier at CIF-NCS, Shoults was “pumped up” (his words) for the 200. As a spectator, it was clear he was going for the record from the outset. A 22.0, a 23.6, and two 23.8s later and the roaring crowd watched history in the making: Shoults went 1:33.26, erasing Rooney’s new mark of 1:33.70 by .44. Dana Hills sophomore Owen Kao placed second with 1:37.93, exactly 1 second in front of Valencia junior Johnny Ellery.

Loyola followed up with a dominant win in the 200 IM from junior Sean Lee, who finished with 1:48.15, 2 seconds ahead of Dana Hills junior Trent Pellini and San Clemente junior Brad Prolo, both of whom touched the wall at 1:50.16.

Mater Dei junior Christian Hockenbury touched out Notre Dame sophomore Zander Minano win the 50 free, 20.47 to 20.60. Newport Harbor senior Sawyer Farmer was third in 20.80.

Ellery of Valencia and Lee of Loyola were back at it in the 100 fly, which Ellery won, 48.32 to 48.53. Tesoro freshman Daniel Kim rounded out the podium with 49.03.

Fountain Valley junior Justin Nguyen took down Loyola senior Joon Sung in the 100 free, clocking a 44.58 for the win. Sung was 44.79 for second, while Hockenbury touched at 45.26.

After watching Shoults attack his 200 it would have been fair to assume he couldn’t have much left for the 500. Of course, that was a faulty assumption and he proved it in the next event. He leapt out to an early lead and had clear water for 19 laps. Never splitting higher than 25.73, Shoults took a full second off Jack Conger’s 4:13.87 national record from 2013, going 4:12.87. Dana Hills’ Kao tried to go out with Shoults but paid for it on the back half. Nonetheless he picked up the silver medal with 4:26.12, fending off a strong back half charge from University junior George Horvath (4:26.48).

Huntington Beach eked out a win over Loyola in the 200 free relay, with senior Peter Crocker (21.04), sophomores Jacob Cavano (20.52) and Grant Brehm (21.09), and junior Ethan Wojciechowski (20.58) combining for 1:23.23 to Loyola’s 1:23.68.

Fountain Valley’s Nguyen picked up his second victory of the evening with a 48.94 rout in the 100 back. University junior Andrew Knoell was second in 49.47. Third place went to Tesoro’s Kim.

Saugus junior Tanner Olson won the final event of the day, going 55.33 in the 100 breast. Harvard-Westlake senior Alexander Hsing just out-touched San Clemente’s Prolo for second, 55.64 to 55.71.

Loyola closed out the meet with a 3:02.63 win in the 400 free relay. Lee (45.82), Josh Kim (46.72), Gabe Schneider (45.92), and Sung (44.17) contributed to the effort. Huntington Beach placed second in 3:03.16. Dana Hills took third with 3:03.83. Santa Margarita’s Shoults anchored with 43.96, pulling his relay within .04 of Dana Hills.

Final Scores

1. Loyola 369.5
2. Dana Hills 252.5
3. Santa Margarita 242
4. Northwood 163.5
5. Huntington Beach 151.5
6. Valencia-Valencia 135
7. University 128
8. Corona del Mar 109
9. Saugus 101
10. Edison 99.5
11. Harvard-Westlake 96
12. Hart 77
13. Tesoro 71
14. Mater Dei 70
15. Los Alamitos 64
16. Fountain Valley 63
17. Newport Harbor 60
18. Foothill 60
19. Notre Dame-SO 58
20. Crespi 57
21. Esperanza 54
22. Marina 52
23. Buena 52
24. San Clemente 38.5
25. Villa Park 36
26. Lutheran-Orange 29
27. West Ranch 20
28. Santa Barbara 18
29. Beckman 18
30. Dos Pueblos 17
31. Woodbridge 16
32. Trabuco Hills 15
33. San Marcos 14
34. Irvine 12
35. Ventura 11
36. Yorba Linda 9
37. Alemany 8
38. JSerra 1