Swim Splashes to Third Place in Pacific League Championship Finals

Claire Liu and Marianne Chan

Boys’ varsity swim co-captain and sophomore Andrew Tsai competes in the 200 yard Individual Medley, where he placed 5th. The Bulldogs’ supportive attitude made the meet an enjoyable experience, according to Tsai. “We did really well at supporting and cheering each other on throughout the meet,” Tsai said. “We brought lots of energy for the very last relay, and I think collectively as a team, we were able to cheer on our teammates and show a lot of support to one another, even if we weren’t the closest of friends or didn’t know each other well.”

Portola girls’ and boys’ swim placed third overall during the April 28-May 1 Pacific Coast League Championship finals at the Woollett Aquatics Center against Woodbridge High, University High, Northwood High and Irvine High. Their next meet will take place May 14 at Clovis West High School for the CIF State Championships.

Both veteran and newer Bulldogs showed standout performances during the finals, according to head coach Steven Riches. Senior Andrew Quach took first place in the 100-yard breaststroke with a final time of 57.64 seconds, while junior Lucas Cha won the 100-yard backstroke with a final time of 51.29 seconds. Sophomore Megan Han also placed first in the 100-yard breaststroke with a final time of 1 minute and 7.08 seconds.

“We improved our time dramatically between prelims and finals,” Riches said.

Both the girls’ and boys’ varsity are ranked in Division 1 CIF in California; rankings for this season will likely be announced at the end of May or early June after the CIF State Championships, according to junior Sophie Wu. Qualifying members aim to place in the upcoming CIF championships. During the meet, highlights included personal bests from swimmers such as junior Sophie Wu, who dropped time to achieve her goal in the 50-yard freestyle, according to sophomore Connor Truong.

“A standout swimmer was Sophie Wu because I was watching her swim her 50 free [50-yard freestyle],” Truong said. “She’s a good teammate of mine, and she really wanted to get her CIF cut, which was 24 seconds. I think she had a 25-second 50 free, so she was able to drop that time and achieve her goal. I thought it was really special that I was able to witness that.”

In preparation for the finals, the Bulldogs stuck to consistent sleep schedules, healthy meals and detailed warm-up routines, according to Wu, as well as boys’ varsity co-captain and sophomore Andrew Tsai. During meets, they practiced drills to fine-tune their strokes and technique in the water, aiming to improve efficiency, according to Riches.

“This year was a lot more competitive,” Tsai said. “There were a lot more swimmers and faster people from a lot of schools, so making it back to finals, and placing during finals was definitely more challenging, but I think overall, as a team, we stepped up and we performed to the best of our ability.”

Since many competitive upperclassmen graduated the previous year, the varsity teams’ underclassmen have assumed greater responsibility to maintain the team’s standing in the league. Through team bonding activities such as bonfires and nature walks, the team grew closer throughout the year and members rallied around one another for different meets.

“They’ve all gotten a lot faster during the high school season,” Riches said. “Most of them swam personal bests during their high school season, and I’m looking forward to them continuing to develop their next four years or next three years at Portola.”

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About the Contributors

Claire Liu, Humor Editor

Claire Liu is the Humor Editor and a Business Manager for her third and final year on the Portola Pilot. This year, she will try her best not to double the given word count. If she’s not in a depressive mood because of the state of the country, you can find her listening to dead jazz players, watching long-form improv sessions or crying because Sonia is no longer her boss.

Marianne Chan, Features Editor

Marianne Chan is the Features Editor and a Business Manager for their third and final year on the Portola Pilot. Although she grumbles about wanting to graduate already, she’s ready to cover the goings on of campus and finally write Opinion stories again. If she isn’t catching up on her 4th missing assignment of the week, you can find her compiling 5 hour long Apple Music playlists, chugging black tea, or writing paragraphs upon paragraphs of analysis for anything but AP Lang.

Mason Truong, Staff Writer

Mason Truong is a staff writer for his first year on the Portola Pilot. You can find him on campus in the library reading the newest fantasy book, or walking around trying to decipher the daily Wordle puzzle. Outside of school, he enjoys experimenting with new culinary recipes, riding his bike, and practicing his form at swim practice. He is so excited to start his first year as a writer on the Portola Pilot staff!