2019 CIF CENTRAL SECTION D1 & D2 CHAMPIONSHIPS
- May 1-4, 2019
- Clovis West High School
- Fresno, CA
- Meet Site
- Meet Info
- Psych Sheet
- Prelims Results
The 2019 CIF State Championships series continues with the CIF Central Section meet, held at Clovis West High School. This year, both divisions 1 and 2 will compete together. Team scores, however, will be separated by division. Top eight finalists in each event will be awarded, regardless of division per the meet packet. The Clovis West girls and Clovis boys come in as the 2018 D1 section champions while the Madera girls and Kingsburg boys are the defending D2 section champions.
With the combined divisions competing together, the stakes are higher and the battles are just as intense. Among the swimmers to watch is Clovis North freshman and NAG-holder Claire Tuggle. The high school rookie comes in as the prelims leader in both the 200 free (1:47.98) and 500 free (4:48.03). However, Tuggle will have to fend off last year’s defending champions in both races.
In the girls’ 200 free, Clovis West’s Abby Samansky cruised a few seconds behind Tuggle to seed herself second. However, Samansky is the CIF record-holder with a 1:47.79. For Tuggle, however, her personal best and seed time comes in at a brisk 1:45.71, which is already under Samansky’s CIF record.
In the girls’ 500 free, Tuggle will have to fight just as close of a race for nearly 5 minutes against 2018 D1 champion Averee Preble of Clovis. Although Tuggle’s prelims swim of 4:48.03 overwhelms Preble’s swim of 4:54.69, Preble herself has also been sub-4:50.
Tuggle isn’t the only swimmer of the meet attempting to topple past champions. In the boys’ distance race, Nipomo freshman Parker Reynolds dropped 14 seconds off his 8th-place seed to earn the top seed into finals with a 4:32.15. Reynolds sits ahead of Clovis North senior Ben Forbes (4:33.08), who was the 50 and 200 free champion in 2018.
For the boys’ 200 IM, Clovis West’s Ian Belflower (1:54.63) is seeded nearly a full second ahead of defending champion Ethan DePry of Clovis North (1:55.78).
During the Friday prelims session, nine new D2 records were broken as well. Among the record-breakers was Golden West swimmer Mackenzie Garza, who went 2-for-2 with record-breaking top prelims swims. In the 50 free, Garza was the lone girl under 24 seconds with a 23.42, taking down the 2014 D2 record of 23.68.
In the 100 free, Garza set her second D2 record of the meet with another top prelims swim of 51.52, knocking off the 2018 mark of 52.16. Seeded behind Garza is 2018 D1 section champ and CIF record-holder Abby Samansky (Clovis West). Samansky’s prelims swim of 51.76 puts her at second, however, her CIF record stands at a blistering 49.90.
Taking another top prelims time was El Diamante’s Preston Niayesh. Both Naiyesh (57.00) and #2 seed Kingsburg’s Wyatt Ward (57.07) crushed Niayesh’s 2017 D2 record of 58.71. Setting up a tight battle for the sectional title as well is #3 seed Clovis West’s Ian Belflower (57.11) and 2018 D1 champion Clovis West’s Joaquin Jamieson (58.19).
The remaining broken D2 records include:
- Boys 200 Medley Relay: Coalinga, 1:37.70
- Boys 100 Fly: Garrison Price (Coalinga), 49.39 (top seed)
- Girls 200 Free Relay: Golden West, 1:41.30
- Boys 200 Free Relay: Kingsburg, 1:26.90
- Girls 100 Back: Paige Taber (Independence), 57.72
- Boys 400 Free Relay: Kingsburg, 3:15.40
More Top Prelims Seeds:
- Girls 200 Medley Relay: Clovis North, 1:47.21
- Boys 200 Medley Relay: Clovis North, 1:36.06
- Boys 200 Free: Ben Forbes (Clovis North), 1:41.24
- Girls 200 IM: Averee Preble (Clovis), 2:03.40
- Boys 50 Free: Lucas Esenwein (Morro Bay), 20.76
- Girls 100 Fly: Charlize Phillips (Clovis North), 57.03
- Boys 100 Free: Mark Erbstoesser (San Luis Obispo), 46.01
- Girls 200 Free Relay: Buchanan, 1:38.82
- Boys 200 Free Relay: Clovis North, 1:24.43
- Girls 100 Back: Annie Bartolome (San Luis Obispo), 56.79
- Boys 100 Back: Austin Lane (Clovis West), 51.30
- Girls 100 Breast: Megan Ridenour (Redwood), 1:04.13
- Girls 400 Free Relay: Clovis North, 3:32.54
- Boys 400 Free Relay: Clovis West, 3:08.67