Mia Bugarin Blasts 4:52.68 500 Free, 2nd-Fastest Time Among Calif. High Schoolers This Season

2024 Rio Hondo League Finals

• April 22-24, 2024
• La Canada, California
• SCY (25 yards)
• Results on MeetMobile: “2024 CA OB Rio Hondo League Champs”

Team Scores

Boys

1. La Canada – 482
2. San Marino – 454
3. Temple City – 385
4. South Pasadena – 273
5. Monrovia – 84

Girls

1. South Pasadena – 490
2. La Canada – 393
3. Temple City – 352
4. San Marino – 251
5. Monrovia – 129

La Canada sophomore Mia Bugarin continued her impressive progression in the 500-yard freestyle at the Rio Hondo League Championships, blasting a personal-best 4:52.68 that ranks 2nd among the California high school girls this season.

Bugarin knocked over a second off her previous-best 500 free time of 4:53.84 from December. Her best time heading into this season was just 5:06.02 at the CIF Championships last May. Bugarin broke the five-minute barrier for the first time in December with a 4:55.35. Only Kentucky commit and Woodrow Wilson high senior Samantha Hamilton has been faster this season with a 4:46.79 at the Moore League Championships this past weekend.

Bugarin earned another individual title in the 200 free (1:50.80), shaving more than half a second off her previous-best 1:51.34 from last month. She now ranks 11th in the state this season in the 200 free. However, her double wasn’t quite enough to lift the La Canada girls (393 points) past South Pasadena (490) in the team standings.

Blair junior Ella Lesnever swept the 50 free (23.72) and 100 free (51.33), events in which she ranks as a top-15 performer statewide this season. Her best times stand at 23.39 and 50.81 from last month and December, respectively. As a freshman, Lesnever helped raise more than $12,000 for an automated timing system at Blair’s pool so that the program’s times at home meets could count toward CIF qualification.

Temple City junior Samantha Wong was the other double winner among the girls. Wong went 1:06.03 in the 100 breast to eke past South Pasadena junior Ana Mancera Rodriguez (1:06.09) by a blink. Wong also posted a personal-best 57.69 to prevail in the 100 fly. Rodriguez topped the podium in the 200 IM (2:09.48), dropping more than a second off her previous-best 2:10.83 from last March.

Wong’s Temple City teammate, junior Brianna Lee, also clinched an individual Rio Hondo League title in the 100 back (1:00.65), taking a tenth off her previous-best 1:00.79 from last April.

On the boys side, senior Ryan Makouar powered La Canada past senior Daniel Li‘s San Marino squad in a tight team battle. Makouar, a Columbia commit, triumphed in the 100 fly (48.77) and 200 IM (1:52.71). He has been as fast as 47.66 in the 100 fly at a club meet last month, and his high school season-best 48.32 ranks 2nd in the state. Makouar’s 200 IM victory ranks him 15th in the state this season.

Li, a Stanford commit, dominated the distance freestyle events with wins in the 200 free (1:38.23) and 500 free (4:30.57) that rank him 4th and 7th in the state this season, respectively. He owns lifetime bests of 1:36.85 and 4:26.72 from last month. La Canada senior Pierce O’Grady, a USC commit, placed 2nd in the 200 free (1:40.08), within a couple seconds of his best time (1:38.38) that placed him 6th at the CIF State Championships last May.

San Marino boasted two other individual champions between junior Otis Tsai in the 100 back (51.59) and junior Henry Lyu in the 100 breast (58.70). Tsai was within a few tenths of his personal-best 51.30 from December, ranking 15th in the state this season. He also earned a runner-up finish in the 50 free (21.57) behind Temple City junior Jayden Kadiman (21.45). Lyu’s 100 breast victory lowered his lifetime best from last month by more than half a second.

California’s high school swimming postseason continues with sectional competition next week before the CIF State Championships take place from May 9-11 at the Clovis Olympic Swim Complex.