The Eastlake High School swim team remained undefeated in Mesa League play after sweeping a dual meet against Hilltop April 5 at the Las Palmas pool in National City.
The Titan boys team recorded a 111-77 victory against the Lancers while the Eastlake girls team won in convincing fashion by a score of 113-66.
The Titans improved to 3-0 in league dual meets after previously sinking Bonita Vista by scores of 121-43 (girls) and 112-52 (boys) on March 30.
The Mesa League prelims are scheduled May 4 at Mater Dei Catholic High School, followed by the league championship meet May 6 at the same site.
The Metro Conference diving competition is scheduled May 5 at the Parkway pool.
The Titans are the defending Mesa League champions. They host Oay Ranch in a key dual meet next Thursday, April 26, at the Las Palmas pool.
First-year head coach (and former Titan CIF champion) Luca Casimiro said things are going well for the team as it heads down the stretch drive to lower times for championship competition.
“We are working on our base,” Casimiro said. “We have all these club swimmers that kind of push the rest of the team. They all drive each other. Because swimming is an individual sport that doesn’t mean that the swimmers can’t drive each other.”
Standouts on this year’s EHS squad include junior Emilio Carrillo (100 freestyle, 200 individual medley), freshman Nate Bjornstad (200 IM, 100 breaststroke), freshman Aaron Medina (100 butterfly), senior Cade Erickson (500 freestyle), freshman Cecelia Hagewood (50 freestyle, breaststroke), senior Elisabeth Lundgren (backstroke, freestyle), sophomore Pia Davila (backstroke, butterfly), freshman Alexandra Morgan (200 IM, 500 freestyle, senior Jack Fischer (backstroke, freestyle) and Danish exchange student Alfred Høolberg (freestyle, backstroke).
Lundgren doubled in winning the 200 freestyle (2:05.93) and 100 backstroke (1:05.0) against Hilltop while Hagewood doubled in winning the 50 freestyle (26.43) and 100 breaststroke (1:11.89).
Davila won the 100 butterfly in 1:04.89 while Morgan won the 500 freestyle in 5:39.89.
Eastlake won two of the three relay events in the girls meet — 200 medley (2:03.54) and 400 freestyle (4:05.96).
The Titans captured first-place finishes in all the individual events in the boys meet while winning two of the three relay events.
Høolberg doubled in the 200 freestyle (1:55.21) and 100 backstroke (59.44) while Bjornstad doubled in the 200 IM (2:11.50) and 100 breaststroke (1:08.44).
Other individual event winners included Fischer in the 50 freestyle (23.93), Medina in the 100 butterfly (1:00.42), Camarillo in the 100 freestyle (53.33) and Erickson in the 500 freestyle (5:17.73).
Eastlake won the 200 medley relay in 1:50.33 and the 400 freestyle relay in 3:43.88.
Hilltop won three events in the girls meet against Eastlake. Alejandra Lopez won the 200 IM in 2:34.4, Ytzel Silva won the 100 freestyle in 1:00.71 while the Lancers 200 freestyle relay team touched first in 1:53.67.
Hilltop’s lone first-place finish in the boys meet came in the 200 freestyle relay (1:41.49).
Hagewood doubled in winning the 50 freestyle (26.82) and 100 breaststroke (1:12.02) in the dual meet against Bonita Vista while Morgan (200 IM), Davila (100 butterfly), Ariana Ritchie (100 freestyle), Lundgren (100 backstroke) each recorded individual wins.
Camarillo doubled in winning the 200 IM (2:17.9) and 100 freestyle (54.03) in the meet against Bonita Vista while Esteban Rascon also doubled in winning the 100 butterfly (1:01.27) and 500 freestyle (5:15.5).
