CIF-SS D1 Boys: Okubo and Company Lead University to Records and Section Title

Final results

University’s record-breaking 200 medley relay. Photo: Anne Lepesant

It turned out to be as much of a landslide victory as we predicted. No one had the star power or the depth to match University at the CIF-SS Division 1 Championships.

University showed it meant business from the first event: Daniel Tran (22.97), Michael Schiffer (25.68), Corey Okubo (21.45), and William Hofstadter (20.00) broke the CIF-SS D1 record in the 200 medley relay with a combined 1:30.10. Loyola and Redlands finished together, two seconds behind University.

Santa Margarita sophomore Grant Shoults won the 200 free (1:35.99) ahead of juniors Cole Cogswell (Hart) and Thomas Smith (Edison).

Corey Okubo of University. Photo: Anne Lepesant

University’s incredible depth was on display in the 200 IM where they filled four of the nine lanes in the “A” final and finished first, third, fifth, and eighth. University senior and Princeton commit Okubo won the event, setting a new D1 record of 1:45.42, which is 1.5 seconds faster than the D1 record he had already broken in prelims. Corona del Mar senior and Okubo’s future Princeton teammate Liam Karas finished second, also under the D1 mark, with 1:46.54.

The 50 free was not as fast as it’s been in past years; only three went under 21: Corey John of Loyola (20.55), University’s Hofstadter (20.71), and Mater Dei’s Matthew Payne (20.96). The diving podium consisted of Stanford commit Tarek Abdelghany from Capo Valley (579.35 points), junior Matt Casillas of El Modena (539.65), and freshman Brandon Loschiavo of Huntington Beach (537.95).

Alex Valente of Dos Pueblos broke Kyle Gornay’s 2013 D1 record in the 100 fly with 46.69. University’s Okubo was second in 47.53, while Edison senior Wade Nelson was third in 48.63.

Hart junior Cogswell pulled off an upset in the 100 free with a come-from-behind victory over Redlands’ Gornay, 43.97 to 44.03. Sophomore Kevin Dai of Valencia (45.12) got third.

Junior Nick Norman of Capo Valley won the 500 in 4:23.02; Servite junior Stephen Marcin was second in 4:24.30, while his teammate senior Jerad Kaskawal was third with 4:27.02.

Loyola’s 200 free relay. Photo: Anne Lepesant

Loyola broke the D1 record in the 200 free relay by a half second with 1:22.57 from Oliver Maarse (21.21), Joon Sung (20.41), Ryan Wilson (20.74), and John (20.21). Hart came in second (1:23.15); Valencia took third (1:23.94).

Cal-commit Gornay of Redlands won the 100 back in 47.15, a tick off his 2013 D1 record time of 47.04. Valencia senior Jessie Kim (48.39) touched .17 ahead of David Puczkowski of Westlake (48.56) for second.

Tyler Lin of Corona del Mar won a close 100 breast final in 55.53 ahead of University’s Judd Howard (55.97) and Northwood’s William Monjay (56.17).

Hart finished the meet with an exciting win in the 400 free relay. Cogswell (44.63), Austin Barreiro (46.17), Kevin Moore (45.49), and Matt Johnson (46.12)’s 3:02.41 just outpaced Redlands’s 3:02.60 and Loyola’s 3:03.71.