Ethan Hu Has Monster Meet at CIF Central Coast Finals, Smashes Meet Records

2019 CIF CENTRAL COAST SECTION FINALS

• May 3-4, 2019
• Santa Clara International Swim Center, Santa Clara, CA
• Live Results

Harker junior Ethan Hu hit huge personal bests today at the CIF Central Coast Finals in a meet that saw several meet records fall. Hu, one of the top high school juniors yet to commit to a collegiate program, first dropped a 21.12 fly leg on Harker’s 200 medley relay. The relay, at 1:30.93, took down the 2014 meet record from Palo Alto.

His first individual event was the 200 IM, where he clocked a 1:44.62. That was his biggest drop– he was 1:46.53 coming into the meet, and his time today was nearly two full seconds better than that. With that swim, he erases Curtis Ogren’s meet record of 1:44.90 from 2014. In the 100 fly, Hu was 45.90, taking three tenths from his old best. He moves to T-10th in the 100 fly in 17-18 history, while he’s now top 40 in the age group in the 200 IM. He still has over a year left in the age group.

Meanwhile, Max Saunders of Bellarmine. Nicole Oliva of Saint Francis, and Oliva’s teammate Brooke Schaffer all took freestyle doubles. Saunders was 43.52 in the 100 free, winning and breaking Shayne Fleming’s meet record by almost two tenths. In the 200 free, he won in 1:36.27, edging out Los Gatos’ Dylan Hawk (1:36.56). Oliva, meanwhile, took the 200 free (1:47.03) and the 500 free (4:47.47). Schaffer teamed up with Oliva as Saint Francis won all of the freestyle events on the girls’ side– Schaffer was 22.92 in the 50 and 49.32 in the 100.

Saunders helped the Bellarmine boys to a huge team title win. On the 200 free relay, he led off in 20.36, better than any other split in the field (flying or flat) to help them to the win. He also anchored the 400 free relay in 43.62, which helped secure the win. Bellarmine grabbed another win courtesy of sophomore Kevin Sichak, who was 20.67 to take the 50 free.

The girls from Gunn only had one individual winner, but their depth proved the winning formula. Sophomore Melanie Julia clocked a 1:01.03 in the 100 breast, coming in less than a tenth off of Grace Zhao’s meet record. Sarah Snyder was huge for Gunn, too– she was runner-up in the 200 free (1:47.82), 5th in the 100 fly (55.44), and split 22.51 and 48.98 anchoring Gunn’s free relays. In the 400 free relay, she helped hold off Saint Francis’s Schaffer (48.74), as Gunn won the race in 3:22.90 to break the CCS record.

OTHER WINNERS

• Danielle Carter of Los Altos took the 100 fly (54.29) and the 100 back (54.21).
• Valley Christian’s Mai McKenna won the 200 IM (2:01.78) and led off their winning 200 medley relay (25.33).
• Gunn’s Jonathan Affeld clocked a 4:25.64 to win the 500 free.
• Zachary Dietze of Willow Glen won the 100 back in 48.81, just ahead of Saint Francis’s Andy Huang (48.87).
• Mitty’s Jassen Yep was 54.89 to take the 100 breast, edging out Harker sophomore Jason Kwok (54.91).

SCORES

Girls Top 5

1. Henry M. Gunn High School 288
2. Saint Francis High School 217
3. Archbishop Mitty 168
4. Sacred Heart Prep 166
5. Leland 139.5

Boys Top 5

1. Bellarmine College Prep 305
2. Sacred Heart Prep 195
3. The Harker School 183
4. Henry M. Gunn High School 167
5. Palo Alto 143.5