Ayala boys swimming team claims CIF Southern Section Division 2 team title

WALNUT — Some decisions are made by choice. Others are made out of necessity.

The Ayala boys swimming team had designs on winning a CIF Southern Section championship this season, but those hopes were nearly dashed after Daniel Benson suffered a knee injury before the campaign started.

Benson, a senior and reigning IE Varsity Boys Swimmer of the Year, only returned to action earlier this month. And so coach Paul Marceau began pondering different strategies for achieving the maximum possible points. Benson would swim one individual event at the Division 2 finals and be part of the squad’s three relay teams.

The plan worked. Benson won the 100-yard freestyle title and helped the relays collect 118 points, which was a combination that helped the Bulldogs win the title Friday at the Mt. San Antonio College Aquatics Complex. It marks the program’s first section championship and comes a year after Ayala was the Division 2 runner-up.

Ayala is the first San Bernardino County boys swimming team to win a section title since Los Osos captured back-to-back Division 2 championships in 2013 and 2014.

“It wasn’t the original plan, but everything worked out well in the end,” Marceau said about the championship.

Benson, Arthur Lin, Zachary Chang and Colin Mulqueen got the Bulldogs after to a strong start Friday with a third-place finish in the 200 medley relay (1 minute, 24.86 seconds). Benson, Mulqueen, Kevin Zheng and Alex Sanchez de la Cruz combined forces later in the meet and placed second in the 200 freestyle relay (1:24.78).

A third combination  — Mulqueen, Zheng, Lin and Benson — closed out Friday’s meet by capturing the title in the 400 freestyle relay (3:06.42). That gave Ayala 201 total points, 23 more than Sherman Oaks Notre Dame.

“Colin Mulqueen and Alex Sanchez are two water polo kids. They don’t swim for clubs. They just train with us every day,” Marceau said. “They came up huge for us. … Colin went out there and swam on all three relays.”

Despite the limited preparation, Benson successfully defended his title in the 100 freestyle in a time of 44.43, only .32 seconds off of the Division 2 record set by Olympic gold medalist Anthony Ervin (Hart) back in 1999.

“The day I realized I could help out this team, I became determined to do everything possible,” Benson said. “It was awesome getting to swim the relays with all the guys. This meet was fun and ended in the best way.”

Lin contributed 33 individual points to Ayala’s total with a fourth-place finish in the 200 freestyle (1:41.06) and fifth-place finish in the 100 breaststroke (57.05). Zheng tacked on 26 more points for the Bulldogs by placing sixth in the 50 freestyle (21.65) and eighth in the 100 freestyle.

“Bringing home a championship, especially as a senior, is an honor,” Lin said. “It’s so fun to see all my boys happy and winning. We’re in the record books as the first team champ, and that’s something to be proud of.”

Murrieta Valley’s Kaylee Richmond has been the clear superstar in the Inland Empire’s outstanding group of freshmen. Richmond shined in her first section finals and cruised to victory in the girls sprint freestyle races.

Richmond won the 50 freestyle in a personal-best 22.88 and claimed the 100-freestyle crown in 49.99. She  teamed up with Shiloh Hansen, Kaitlyn Lee and Kayley Maguire to place third in the 200 free relay (1:39.16).

“I’m really excited. It’s a big accomplishment I think.” Richmond about her double victory. “I was a bit nervous before the start of the 50, but I just stepped up and started thinking about all the work I’ve done to get here.”

Richmond’s older brother Kaleb placed fourth in both the boys 50 freestyle (21.48) and 100 freestyle (46.90). He also joined forces with Titus Elliott, Adrian Cervantes and Matthew Woodroof for an eighth-place finish in the 200 freestyle relay (1:27.48).

Riverside Poly’s Dashiell DeAnda turned in strong efforts in the boys distance freestyle races. DeAnda placed third in both the 200 freestyle (1:40.89) and 500 freestyle (4:32.67). He also combined with Beppe Martinez Tennis, Kyle Rodillas and Christophe Wong for a ninth-place finish in the 200 freestyle relay.

Maksim Kutsner of Redlands was second in the boys 100 butterfly (49.55). Teammate Eli Martinez-Spencer was fifth in the 200 freestyle (1:42.28) and sixth in the 500 freestyle (4:34.90). That duo also combined with Trevor Shumway and Anthony Gerges to place fifth in the 200 freestyle relay (1:26.90) and ninth in the 400 free relay (3:12.90).

Alta Loma’s Noah Quintero Marmol Morefield finished third in the boys 100 freestyle (46.52) and ninth in the 200 individual medley (1:58.57). Great Oak’s Alexander Hernandez placed eighth in the boys 100 backstroke (52.47) and ninth in the 100 butterfly (52.76).

Riley Ogilvie finished fourth in the girls 500 freestyle (5:02.02) and sixth in the 100 backstroke (58.70). She also teamed with Riley Stabio, Nicole Cheng and Coco Hong for a ninth-place finish in the 400 freestyle relay (3:41.15).

Madison Poloni of Los Osos placed sixth in the girls 500 freestyle (5:11.65), while Great Oak’s Amanda Cotton was ninth in the girls 100 breaststroke (1:06.32).

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