By Braden Keith on SwimSwam
Press Release Courtesy: Loyola High School
Some of the fastest high school swimmers in California will gather this weekend in Los Angeles at USC’s Uytengsu Aquatics Center for a times finals that will set the tone for the State Championships in May.
Psych Sheets HereThis year marks the first time the meet will feature four powerhouse programs competing head to head, creating a high level team competition on both the boys and girls sides. The boys field includes Santa Margarita, Northwood, Clovis West, and Loyola, while the girls meet will feature Santa Margarita, Northwood, Clovis West, and Marlborough.
The meet will run from 4-7 PM and will include a DJ and post-race interviews.
The meet brings together programs with deep championship pedigrees. Northwood captured the 2025 CIF State boys title, while Clovis West finished second, and Santa Margarita claimed the 2025 CIF State girls championship. Both Santa Margarita and Loyola have won recent CIF state titles with SM favored in 2026 and with Loyola looking to re-build with one of the strongest young rosters in Southern California after graduating 4 D1 swimmers in 2025.
With a large group of Division I recruits and a wave of talented underclassmen already posting nationally ranked times, this year’s meet will be fast and fun.
Each team enters with a clear identity. Santa Margarita brings top end speed and exceptional depth, Northwood and Clovis West arrive with elite individual firepower, and Loyola features a young and improving roster competing for the first time on a big stage at USC.
Santa Margarita: Depth and Firepower Across the Board
Santa Margarita may have the most complete roster in the meet, combining elite sprint speed with depth across multiple events.
Bennett Korner (Xavier commit) leads the group with a 20.20 in the 50 free, 45.1 in the 100 free, and 49.1 in the 100 back, making him one of the most versatile swimmers in the field.
He is joined by Taylor Thongintra (Northwestern commit), who brings strength in the IM and breaststroke events with a 1:49.56 in the 200 IM and 54.7 in the 100 breast.
In the freestyle events, Luke Collins (Ohio State commit) adds distance strength with a 1:40.9 in the 200 free and 4:28.8 in the 500 free, while Tyler Lee (20.96 / 45.32) gives the Eagles another elite sprinter.
Santa Margarita’s depth extends well beyond its top four, with swimmers like Carson Eich (Pomona Pitzer commit), Adam Cuthbert (University of the Pacific commit), and Rowan You giving the team one of the deepest lineups in the meet.
On the girls side, Valentina Delgado, Eileen Song, Angela Lim, and Serena Ye lead a young but talented group that has already posted strong relay times, reinforcing Santa Margarita’s reputation as one of the most balanced programs in the state.
Northwood: Elite Freestyle Speed
Northwood enters with some of the fastest freestyle talent in the meet, led by Andrew Maksymowski (USC commit), one of the top high school freestylers in the country.
Maksymowski brings elite times of 43.94 in the 100 free, 1:35.42 in the 200 free, and 4:18.06 in the 500 free, making him a favorite in multiple events.
He is supported by sophomore Michael Wang, who has top times of 44.57 in the 100 free and 1:38.74 in the 200 free, and sophomore Eli Siniak, who adds sprint and stroke versatility with a 20.69 in the 50 free and 49.96 in the 100 fly.
Additional depth comes from Zachary Zhang (58.0 breast, 1:56.5 Im) and Yul Yang (22.6 / 50.8)
On the girls side, Alessia Cagnoni (24.8 / 54.9) and Shayna Hecht (5:03 / 1:55.1) provide balance across sprint and distance events.
Clovis West: Proven Championship Program
Clovis West arrives with one of the strongest resumes in the field, finishing second at the 2025 CIF State Championships and consistently performing at a high level.
Tobin Reed (St. Mary’s commit) leads the sprint group with a 20.43 in the 50 free and 44.40 in the 100 free, while Stanley Oka (Air Force commit) adds versatility with a 48.12 in the 100 fly and 50.45 in the 100 back. Clovis West touched out Northwood to win the state title in thew 400 FR in 2025 behind a 43.75 relay split by Oka.
On the girls side, Sophia Oka Fedder (Northwestern commit) 1:49.3 in the 200 free and 23.1 and 50.6 in the 100 Free, Audrey Hill (Washington State commit) 54.0 100 Fly and 1:49.1 200 free and 50.8 100 Free, and Hailey Marinovich (Penn State commit) who goes 2:03.1 200 Im and provide a strong core of experienced swimmers across sprint, stroke, and IM events.
With proven relay success at the state level, Clovis West remains a major threat in the team race.
Loyola: Young Talent on a Big Stage
Host Loyola brings a young and developing roster that could surprise with its depth.
Junior Hudson Peters leads the distance group with a 1:42.1 in the 200 free 46.8 100 Free and 4:40 in the 500 free, while sophomore Jack Walker adds versatility with a 1:42.1 in the 200 free and 51.3 in the 100 back as well as 4:38 in the 500.
Sophomores Alejandro Safa (4:36 500) and Freshman Alex Xiang (51.8 100 fly and 1:44 200 Free) add depth in the middle distance events, while sophomore Lex Ng anchors the IM and breaststroke group with a 1:52.5 in the 200 IM and 55.6 in the 100 breast.
With several underclassmen in key roles, Loyola’s development will be one of the most interesting storylines of the meet.
Boys Races to Watch
Several events stand out as must watch matchups.
The 50 freestyle could feature one of the fastest sprint fields of the early season, with Bennett Korner, Tobin Reed, Eli Siniak, and Michael Wang all entered with 20 point speed.
The 100 freestyle brings together one of the strongest fields in the meet, highlighted by Andrew Maksymowski against Reed, Wang, and Korner, where it may take a 43 to touch the wall first.
In the 200 freestyle, Maksymowski’s national level time off 1:35 will be tested by Santa Margarita’s depth, including Luke Collins and Carson Eich, along with a strong Loyola group.
The 200 IM and 100 breaststroke could feature a tight battle between SM’s Taylor Thongintra and Loyola’s Lex Ng, Taylor touched out a fast charging Lex at the Mt Sac meet last weekend.
The 500 freestyle will showcase a contrast in styles, with Maksymowski’s top end speed facing Santa Margarita’s depth led by Collins and Marshall.
Relays could ultimately decide the meet, with Santa Margarita’s depth, Northwood’s freestyle firepower, and Clovis West’s proven relay success all setting up high level team races. Loyola’s young team will have to step up to make the top 3 in relays.
Girls Races to Watch
The girls side has more quality than it may first appear, especially in the freestyle events, where several teams bring real depth and a few races could be very tight.
The 200 freestyle should be one of the top girls races of the meet. Clovis West senior Sophia Oka Fedder (Northwestern commit) leads the field with a 1:49.33, while Santa Margarita junior Eileen Song is close behind at 1:50.2. Santa Margarita eighth grader Valentina Delgado adds another major contender at 1:51.5, and Marlborough’s Elaine Park is right there as well at 1:52.5. Alicia Maehara of Marlborough (1:55.0) and Northwood’s Shayna Hecht (1:55.1) give the event even more depth. That is a legitimate featured race.
The 100 freestyle also looks strong. Valentina Delgado (51.39) brings the top seed among the times you shared, but Marlborough’s Elaine Park (52.5) and Alicia Maehara (52.7) are both within striking range. Clovis West’s Sophia Oka Fedder (50.65) actually gives this event another potential headliner if she swims it, and Northwood’s Alessia Cagnoni (54.9) adds more sprint depth. Between Delgado, Oka Fedder, Park, and Maehara, this could be one of the fastest girls sprint races of the day.
The 50 freestyle has fewer names at the very top, but still features quality speed. Clovis West senior Sophia Oka Fedder (23.10) enters with the fastest time among the swimmers listed, followed by teammate Audrey Hill (Washington State commit) at 23.53 and Santa Margarita senior Angela Lim at 23.6. Northwood’s Alessia Cagnoni (24.8) rounds out a competitive sprint group.
In the 100 butterfly, Clovis West senior Audrey Hill (Washington State commit) comes in at 54.07, with Santa Margarita freshman Dani Scott close behind at 54.86. That is one of the cleaner head to head girls matchups in the meet.
The 200 IM should be competitive as well. Clovis West senior Hailey Marinovich (Penn State commit) leads the known field at 2:03.18, but Marlborough’s Abby Lee (2:03.8) is right behind her. Santa Margarita freshman Serena Ye (2:05.0) and Marlborough’s Hailey Cervantes (2:06.1) keep this race tight.
The 100 breaststroke could also be a good battle. Marlborough’s Abby Lee leads the field among the listed swimmers at 1:02.6, followed by Santa Margarita’s Eileen Song (1:03.4) and Marlborough’s Hailey Cervantes (1:05.1).
The 100 backstroke is another event where Santa Margarita freshman Serena Ye (56.1) and Clovis West senior Hailey Marinovich (57.04) could be closely matched.
The 500 freestyle is led by Northwood’s Shayna Hecht (5:03), who gives Northwood a clear distance presence on the girls side.
The girls relays could be especially important in the overall team battle. Santa Margarita’s early season marks of 1:34.66 in the 200 free relay, 3:29.49 in the 400 free relay, and 1:44.4 in the 200 medley relay where they touched out CW just this past weekend by .19. Clovis West’s came back to beat SM at the end of the meet by 3 second in the 400 FR going 3:26.6. The relays should be very close and extremely competitive.
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