Quin Seider Breaks More Records at CIF-SS D3 Championships as Quartz Hill & Bonita Win Meet

2024 CIF-SS DIVISION 3

• May 1-3, 2024 (swimming)
• April 24, 2024 (diving)
• Mt. San Antonio College – Walnut, California
• SCY (25 yards)
• Results: Prelims/Finals/Diving
• Team Scores

After having taken down an over 30-year-old record in the 200 free prelims, Quin Seider decided he wasn’t done yet. The senior, who swims for Nordhoff High School, entered the final day with a prelims time of 1:36.45, which was over a second clear of the old record of 1:37.80. Seider’s PB before the meet was 1:36.14, so breaking the record wasn’t unexpected but his finals performance should turn some heads as dropped the record again by over a full second to take the win in 1:35.27.

Perhaps even more impressive than that record was Seider’s performance in the 100 free. The ASU Commit posted his second record of the day, hitting the wall in 43.36. While shy of his PB of 43.28, his time there registers as a new D3 Meet record, surpassing Vlad Morozov‘s 43.44, which dates back to 2010. If anyone is unfamiliar with the name Morozov, he is a former world record holder in the 100 IM, a multiple NCAA Champion, and the first swimmer ever to break 18 seconds on a 50 free split. That is some nice company to keep for the soon-to-be ASU freshman, and competitors should take notice that Seider still has CIF State Championships to go even faster.

While Seider may have been the only one breaking records, he certainly wasn’t the only one swimming fast. MIT commit and a senior at St. Francis, Nathan Kim, walked away from the meet with two All-America Automatic times, taking second in the 100 free behind Seider at 44.08 (he was just 45.05 in prelims) and winning the 100 back in 48.64.

Despite having some of the fastest performances of the meet, neither swimmer led their squad to victory, as Bonita High School emerged victorious with 171 points, 15 points clear of runner-up Penisula. Bonita’s strength lay in diving, where Logan Atkinson and Mavryck Mathes went 1-2 on the 1-meter board (there were only two entries), but were aided by all three relays making the Championship finals, highlighted by a 4th place finish in the 200 Free relay (1:29.72). In the relay, Bonita, winner Flintridge Prep (1:26.74), and all the other schools had to chase down Nordhodd, who opted to lead off with Seider. Seider hit the wall in 20.05, just a little slower than his prelims swim of 19.78, but fast enough to give his school the lead by over 1.5 seconds.

The women’s meet saw Quartz Hill take the win, totaling 181.50 points, ahead of Archer School for Girls, at 154. Third place was decided by just .5, as Costa Mesa barely inched ahead of South Torrance, 144.50 to 144.

The overall winners started the meet off by taking the 200 Medley relay in 1:50.20, clearing the field by over four seconds. The relay, comprised of one junior and three freshmen, was highlighted by a 26.87 fly split by Magnolia Ahking (Fr.) (only swimmer under 27) and Bailey Nickols‘s (Fr.) 24.13 anchor leg. Only Palm Desert’s Nadia Frutkin (So.) was also under 25, as she anchored her team to a 5th-place finish with a 24.97 split.

The pair of freshmen teamed up with Bethany Burga (Jr.) and Isabelle Drossel (Sr.) to bookend the meet with victories. The quartet won the 400 freestyle relay by over six seconds, with Burga leading off in 53.85 and Nickols anchoring in 53.46.

Both Grace Wharton and Ava Otteson were able to achieve victory in both of their individual events. Wharton, a senior at El Modena and a UNLV commit, claimed gold in the 200 IM, hitting a new PB of 2:02.21. She repeated the feat, taking the win in the 100 back with a time of 55.13. Otteson, a sophomore at Xavier Prep, took the win in the 200 free (1:50.15) and in the 100 free (51.79).

Competitors from this meet may have the opportunity to swim at the CIF State Championships next week. For a full breakdown of the selection process, please look here.

Boys’ Top 5

1. Bonita – 171
2. Peninsula – 156
3. Flintridge Prep – 150
4. Oak Park – 145
5. Bishop Montgomery – 139

Girls’ Top 5

1. Quartz Hill – 181.50
2. Archer School for Girls – 154
3. Costa Mesa – 144.5
4. South Torrance – 144
5. St. Margarets – 139