From left: Heritage relay swimmers Sophia De La Torre, Abigail Downs, Christina Harvey, Gracie Ledesma.
The Heritage High School girls swim team qualified two relay teams for Thursday’s finals during the CIF Division 4 prelims, held Tuesday at Mt. San Antonio College.
The girls 50 medley relay team of Abigail Downs, Christina Harvey, Gracie Ledesma, and Sophia De La Torre placed 17th to advance to the finals, while the 4×100 relay team with the same members also secured 17th place to qualify for the finals. Harvey will also serve as the second alternate in the 100 breaststroke.
“These results mark a clear improvement from last year and highlight the upward trajectory of this team,” said coach Tatiana Coover. “Beyond the times and rankings, what stands out most is who these athletes are; they showed up with optimism, sportsmanship, and class.
“As their coach, I couldn’t be more proud. Watching them succeed at this level is incredibly rewarding — but having witnessed where they started and how far they’ve come makes it even more meaningful. Seeing the fruits of their labor is special, but being part of their journey is truly a privilege. And we’re not done yet!”
For the Heritage boys team, Zebediah Downs placed 19th in the 100 backstroke, just missing the cutoff. He will serve as an alternate on Thursday.
Boys and girls qualifiers from Liberty High and boys swimmers from Paloma Valley, set to compete in Wednesday’s Division 4 prelims, were previewed here on Tueday. Joining them will be one individual and one relay team from the Paloma Valley girls team.
Matilyn Knowlton will compete in the 100 backstroke with a seed time of 1:09.73, according to coach Andrew Mares. The 200 freestyle relay team of Kaylee Gutierrez, Bella Coronel, Danica Munioz and Sienna Pospisil will also compete, hoping to break the school record of 1:50.20.
The Wildcats’ 200 medley relay team of Knowlton, Munioz, Kelsey Gordon and Coronel is the first alternate.
