The Eastlake High School swim team encountered a determined Hilltop squad Wednesday at the Parkway pool. Though the Titans captured the boys half of the dual meet, 106-77, to officially clinch this year’s Mesa League championship, EHS coach Steve Wiggs heaped mounds of praise on the runner-up Lancers.
“Unexpected,” Wiggs said matter-of-factly after the match-up that paired boys teams previously undefeated in league duals. “After the 50 freestyle (four events into the meet), I had to start calculating the score. They were one point ahead of us.”
The meet proved to be the highlight of the season for both teams, with underdog Hilltop stunning the reigning champions by winning the opening two events — the 200 medley relay and 200 freestyle — and then being just out-touched at the finish in the next two events (200 individual medley and 50 freestyle).
“I am so proud of the Hilltop swimmers who showed Lancer spirit at the meet,” veteran Hilltop coach Ernie Medina expressed. “It was simply an incredible effort from the boys — pretty good for a bunch of ‘water pounders.’
“If we had won the events in which we were out-touched, I think we had a good chance to win.”
The Titans were chased the whole meet on the scoreboard as it was.
Hilltop’s Wyatt Schmidt turned in a career best time of 5:01.04 to win the 500 freestyle. Overall, the Lancers pulled off first-place finishes in four of the final five events to keep the score close against depth-heavy Eastlake.
Hilltop captured the 200 freestyle relay in 1:34.50 and Schmidt came back to win his specialty event, the 100 backstroke, with a season-best time of 55:17. HHS teammate Sidney Aki then won the 100 breaststroke in 1:02.08.
Eastlake closed out the meet — and the league title — by winning the 400 freestyle relay in 3:39.37. As anchor Tristan Yam neared the finish, the whole pool was serenaded with electrifying chants of “Eastlake! Eastlake!” to underscore the Titans’ championship season.
“I’ve been coaching against Ernie for about 20 years and I know I can never underestimate his coaching ability,” Wiggs said. “He brought a great game plan to this meet and it almost worked. I give Hilltop a lot of credit.”
Credit should also go to the Titans, who proved they possessed a lion’s share of the top talent in the Metro Conference over the course of the season. That talent parade will be put on display at Saturday’s league finals at Mater Dei Catholic High School.
Alex Lopez (IM and 100 butterfly) and Kyle DeAlva (50 and 100 freestyle) led Eastlake in the water by winning two individual events each.
Lopez out-touched Hilltop’s David Saiadan to win the IM. The race was decided by five-hundredths of a second.
DeAlva, last year’s Mesa League Swimmer of the Year, out-touched Hilltop’s Jovanny Astorga to win the 50 freestyle by three-hundredths of a second.
DeAlva out-touched Astorga by 0.21 seconds to win the 100 freestyle.
The Titans’ 1-2-3 finish in the butterfly event allowed them to open a nine-point bulge on the Lancers and build from there.
Hilltop won the 200 medley relay in 1:44.00; Aki followed by winning the 200 freestyle in 1:54.52.
Eastlake’s girls team swam past Hilltop, 128-47, to also finish unbeaten in league duals. The Lady Titans won all 11 swimming events. Double individual winners included Elisabeth Lundgren (200 freestyle and 100 backstroke) and Angelika Yngson (IM and 100 freestyle).
Also emerging with victories were Jana Miclat (50 freestyle), Paola Rivas (100 butterfly), Morgan Hartley (500 freestyle) and Renee Lanswick (100 breaststroke).
Saturday’s Mesa League championship meet starts at 9 a.m. and will be followed by the South Bay League finals at 1 p.m. at the same site.
The Mesa League prelims are Friday at 3 p.m.
