Gabi Brito Helps Lead Santa Monica To Another Southern Section Division 1 Swimming Title

Gabi Brito went from being irritated to elated successful nan Southern Section Division 1 aquatics championships Saturday astatine Mt. San Antonio College successful Walnut.

In her 2nd event, nan 100-yard butterfly, Brito glanced astatine nan board, saw 51.65 seconds adjacent to her sanction and thought she had missed her chance to amended nan 51.41 she clocked 2 days earlier astatine prelims, a people that collapsed nan Division 1 grounds of 51.53 seconds group by Santa Margarita elder Katie McLaughlin successful nan 2015 finals.

Moments later she recovered retired nan timers had conferred and changed her charismatic winning clip to 50.74 — astir half a 2nd faster than nan erstwhile champion of 51.20 she group astatine nan Speedo Sectionals successful Oceanside successful February.

“Well, I soft-touched and immoderate coach told maine they’d corrected it truthful I sewage a batch happier,” nan Santa Monica sophomore said. “It’s a alleviation fixed that I’m not going to authorities truthful this is my past precocious schoolhouse meet of nan season.”

The arena schedule gave Brito small clip to retrieve aft winning her first event, nan 50-yard freestyle, successful which she swam a 21.66, again lowering nan individual champion of 21.93 she swam astatine prelims, two-hundredths of a 2nd disconnected nan meet grounds group by Abbey Weitzeil of Saugus successful 2015.

“I’m very amazed pinch nan 50,” said nan 15-year-old, who besides won some events arsenic a freshman and led nan Vikings to nan Division 2 squad title. “I was assured I could spell 21 again. I had much pre-race jitters than usual.”

Brito is looking guardant to nan Speedo Grand Challenge connected May 22-24 successful Irvine.

“I’m beautiful pleased really some went considering I only had 15 minutes successful between, but I do a batch of speedy turnarounds and I cognize really to negociate myself,” added Brito, who later anchored some freestyle relays (Santa Monica was 3rd successful nan 200 successful 1:35.29 and first successful nan 400 successful 3:38.40). “I’m only 15 truthful who knows what I tin do? I bask immoderate of nan 100 events. If I person a rested 100 fly, I tin spell faster.”

Santa Monica swept nan squad titles, nan girls mounting a conception grounds pinch their 12th successful a statement since 2014, surpassing nan 11 consecutive section titles Mission Viejo claimed from 1976-86 nether Jan Most. The Eagles totaled 383.5 points, almost lapping runner-up San Clemente (204). The boys won their sixth consecutive and racked up 421 points, breaking nan Division 1 grounds they group successful 2023 pinch a people of 405.

Alyssa Ton of Fountain Valley repeated arsenic nan 200 and 500 freestyle champion. She won nan 200 successful 1:45.15 and nan 500 successful 4:44.26, amended than her prelim times but disconnected her individual bests (1:44.12 and 4:43.39) which she achieved astatine past year’s finals.

Fountain Valley’s Alyssa Ton wins nan 200-yard freestyle successful 1:45.15 astatine nan CIF Southern Section Division 1 finals astatine San Antonio College connected Saturday.

(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)

“I’m not excessively satisfied pinch nan 200 — past twelvemonth I was a small complete a 2nd faster,” said Ton, a inferior committed to Tennessee. “I was much pleased pinch nan 2nd title because my fives tin beryllium each complete nan place. It’s really easy to adhd clip because it’s a longer title but I was only a 2nd disconnected my best.”

Ton has her sights group connected nan 200 meet mark.

“I’m judge nan [CIF record] 1:43.01 will linger successful my mind arsenic adjacent play comes around,” she said. “It’s a anticipation but it’ll return courage to do it. I’m not judge [about state] because I person a nine meet correct after, but I want to spell arsenic a senior.”

Norwood elder and USC perpetrate Andrew Maksymowski, who was nan fastest qualifier successful some nan 200 and 500 freestyle, defended some titles, winning nan 200 successful a personal-best 1:34.70 and nan region title successful 4:22.85.

Stanford-bound Connor Ohl of Newport Harbor won nan 50 freestyle sprint for a 2nd consecutive twelvemonth successful 19.96 — one-hundredth of a 2nd disconnected nan meet grounds group successful 2008 by Joey Hale of Redlands.

Ryder Davis of Damien won nan 100 backstroke successful 47.99 and Corona del Mar’s Ethan Lim won nan 100 breaststroke successful 54.85 pinch six of 9 swimmers successful nan ‘A’ last posting times nether 56 seconds.