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ORANGE COUNTY GIRLS ATHLETE OF THE YEAR 2024-25
Name: Teagan O’Dell
School: Santa Margarita
Year: Senior
Sports: Swimming
Notable highlights: Teagan O’Dell blazed to Orange County records in six of the eight individual events as a high school swimmer. One mark also set a national record.
But when asked to pick the record that meant the most to her, the Santa Margarita senior navigates off the board to select a team accomplishment: the 400-yard freestyle relay during her freshman year at the CIF State championships.
“I knew with the girls that we had at the school, that was going to be a very, very fast relay,” O’Dell recalled of a national record-setting relay that included Macky Hodges, Teia Salvino and Justina Kozan.
“I look back at photos and videos of that record and I was just so happy that we put our minds to it, gave it our all and we were able to get under the record. I can’t believe that it was four years ago. I’m still in contact with the girls today.”
Santa Margarita’s Teagan O’Dell races to a Division 1 record in the 200-yard individual medley at the CIF-SS swimming championships at Mt. SAC on Saturday, May 10, 2025. She touched in 1:53.43. (Courtesy of Alex Tolkachev) Santa Margarita swimmer Teagan O’Dell is The Register’s Orange County girls athlete of the week for May 13, 2025. (Photo by Dan Albano, Orange County Register/SCNG) Santa Margarita swimmer Teagan O’Dell, photographed in Pleasanton, Calif., on Friday, June 13, 2025, is The Register’s Orange County Female Athlete of the Year for 2024-25. The Cal-bound swimmer set four county records in 2025. (Photo by Jose Carlos Fajardo, Bay Area News Group) Santa Margarita swimmer Teagan O’Dell set the Orange County record in the 200-yard freestyle at the Trinity League finals at JSerra on Friday, May 2, 2025. The senior clocked a time of 1 minute, 42.98 seconds to break the record of Olympian Katie McLaughlin for Santa Margarita in 2015. (Photo by Dan Albano, Orange County Register/SCNG) Santa Margarita swimmer Teagan O’Dell, right, shares a moment with childhood friend and teammate Sammy Cummins on Senior Night on April 16, 2025 at Santa Margarita High. (Photo by Dan Albano, Orange County Register/SCNG) Teagan O’Dell of Santa Margarita High School competes in the girls 200-yard individual medley for the CIF Southern Section Division 1 swimming championships, beating her own record on Saturday, May 4, 2024 at the Mt. San Antonio College Aquatic Center. (Photo by Anjali Sharif-Paul, The Sun/SCNG) Teagan O’Dell of Santa Margarita High School competes in the girls 200-yard individual medley for the CIF Southern Section Division 1 swimming championships, beating her own record on Saturday, May 4, 2024 at the Mt. San Antonio College Aquatic Center. (Photo by Anjali Sharif-Paul, The Sun/SCNG) Santa Margarita swimmer Teagan O’Dell is the Orange County girls athlete of the week for April 30, 2024. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG) Santa Margarita High School swimmer Teagan O’Dell is The Register’s female athlete of the year for 2023, in Rancho Santa Margarita, on Wednesday, June 7, 2023. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG) Show Caption1 of 9Santa Margarita’s Teagan O’Dell races to a Division 1 record in the 200-yard individual medley at the CIF-SS swimming championships at Mt. SAC on Saturday, May 10, 2025. She touched in 1:53.43. (Courtesy of Alex Tolkachev) ExpandRelationships and racing for Santa Margarita. That’s what helped push O’Dell to a sensational high school career, which now includes her second Orange County Girls Athlete of the Year honor in three years.
This spring, the Cal-bound O’Dell set four county records as the Eagles defended their CIF-SS Division 1 and CIF State titles.
O’Dell broke the school and county record of Olympian Katie McLaughlin in the 200 freestyle with a time of 1 minute, 42.98 seconds. She also lowered her own county records in the 50 (22.17) and 100 freestyles (48.01), and 100 backstroke (50.82) in earning a fourth consecutive Orange County female swimmer of the year award.
O’Dell departed the high school ranks with county records in the 200 individual medley (national record 1:53.38), 50, 100 and 200 freestyles, 100 backstroke and 100 breaststroke (59.73).
The only individual county records that survived her run were Janet Evans’ legendary 500 free (4:37.30, 1988) and McLaughlin’s butterfly (51.53, 2015). Both those were national records at the time. Evans, of course, set multiple world records while attending El Dorado High.
“It’s worthy to compare (O’Dell) with the best ever (in Orange County),” former Mission Viejo Nadadores coach Terry Stoddard said.
O’Dell’s view of high school swimming often returns to her teammates and Santa Margarita co-coaches Rich and Ron Blanc.
“The relationships are always the most impactful in all areas of life,” she said. “People are what make the difference.”
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