Costa Mesa boys’ swimming makes history with first CIF championship
A successful high school swim team can be a difficult thing to construct.
In Orange County, it typically takes top club swimmers, but also water polo players who can step up.
Keith Ryan and Diggy Riley learned that in eight years coaching swimming together at Edison. They came to Costa Mesa in 2020, just weeks before the coronavirus pandemic began. But the message stayed the same.
“That synergy is what we attribute Edison’s success to back when we had it,” said Ryan, who helped guide Edison’s girls to the 2009 Division 1 title. “We tried to replicate it, and we’re older and maybe a little bit smarter and more experienced. We applied it, and it worked great. But it takes the buy-in from everyone, whether it’s the fastest club swimmer … or the polo guys.”
The buy-in was apparent on Saturday at the CIF Southern Section Division 3 and 4 swim finals at Riverside City College. In spades.
Costa Mesa’s boys stormed their way to the CIF Southern Section Division 3 title, the first in program history. The Mustangs finished with 216 points, outdistancing second-place Viewpoint with 170 points.
Estancia’s girls also had an impressive meet, earning a third-place finish in Division 4.
The Costa Mesa boys were led by freshman phenom Avrum Xagorarakis, who won the Division 3 boys’ 100-yard butterfly in 49.30 seconds and was second in the 500 freestyle in 4:31.94.
The butterfly victory was the first individual CIF championship in Costa Mesa boys’ swimming history. Xagorarakis attributed the team win to “absolutely perfect” camaraderie.
“There’s not been one person that’s been doubting themselves or having bad races at all this season,” he said. “We’ve all felt really good.”
Mesa set the tone in the meet-beginning 200 medley relay, as Luke De La Jara, Kaua Mota, Wes Brazda and Xagorarakis touched in first in a school-record 1:38.16.
The second-place finish in the meet-ending 400 free relay was in another school-record time of 3:15.10. It included a blistering 45.67 anchor-leg split by Xagorarakis, who swam it with De La Jara, Lucas Trask and Brazda — three water polo players.
The Mesa boys also won the 200 free relay, with Brazda, De La Jara, Trask and Mota touching in 1:29.12. Mota provided individual highlights in finishing second in the breaststroke and third in the butterfly.
Last year, Costa Mesa’s boys earned just one point at CIF finals, coming in last place among the 48 teams in attendance.
“It feels incredible,” De La Jara said. “Coming from our water polo season where we had a pretty good run in the playoffs, it feels good to come into swimming. Keith, our coach, told us that with the addition of Avrum that we could make a pretty big run in CIF. We just bought into his plan, and it all worked out.”
Estancia’s girls finished second in the Division 4 medley relay, as Jana Akins, Nataly Andriashvilli, Rita Orduna and Virgo Gonzalez touched in 2:05.77. The same quartet also finished second in the 200 free relay in 1:49.27.
“We’re really proud,” said Akins, a freshman. “We didn’t think that we would get this far, honestly. We’re really proud that we could at least get second.”
The Eagles brought just four swimmers to the meet. Akins competed in two championship finals, placing second in the 50 free (24.93) and fourth in the backstroke (1:03.60).
She was once a top club swimmer but has switched her priority to soccer. But now she said she wants to do both sports going forward.
“We’re really excited,” Akins said. “This year, we’re D4, so it was kind of easier for us to get times. Next year, we’ll be D3, so we’re nervous for it but we’re also going to try harder to get all the CIF times and hopefully place in the finals.”
Marina’s boys’ finished seventh in Division 3. Senior Winston Lee led the way, placing fourth in the butterfly (51.75) and fifth in the 200 free (1:46.33).
“They weren’t bad, they weren’t great,” Lee said. “I was faster at league. But it’s always my pleasure just to be here at CIF. I’ll take a 51 and I’ll take a medal any day … It’s a little bittersweet to leave such a supportive team, but also to finish with a bang is really fun.”
The Vikings also had a successful medley relay, as Trevor Ta, Lico Yuno, Ryan Tran and Lee touched in third in 1:40.72. The Marina 400 free relay placed seventh in 3:20.05.
Sophomore Morgan Carles led the Ocean View girls in Division 3, placing third in the 200 free in 1:54.57 and third in the 100 free in 53.49. Carles said her stomach was bothering her between the two races, but she didn’t let that get in the way.
“We were in D4 last year, so this year moving up I didn’t know what to expect,” she said. “I’m really happy I was able to make finals still, and compete.”
Senior Maddie Stein paced the Costa Mesa girls, placing sixth in the Division 3 girls’ 50 free (25.27) and seventh in the backstroke (1:00.52).
The Mesa boys also had sophomore James Ramirez win the mixed 50 free Paralympic race.
They had clinched the title even before the last relay, and celebrated like champions afterward. The program’s first title clearly meant a lot to the coaches, too.
“Now people are starting to choose to go to Costa Mesa High School, because of what’s being cultivated,” said Ryan, who also coaches club swimming at Costa Mesa Aquatics Club. “Instead of, ‘I’m going to go to Mater Dei’ or ‘I’m going to go here,’ they’re making a choice to stay in their school climate that they’ve grown up in. I grew up in Costa Mesa, so I feel that. It’s just amazing, and it’s going to continue.”
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