Giants Sending 19 Swimmers/Divers to 3C2A State Championships

By Nick Giannandrea

COS ATHLETICS

College of the Sequoias' swimming and diving teams continue to build on coach Ally Briano's expectations.

Before the season began, Briano said she hoped to see as many as 15 combined men's and women's competitors qualify for the 76th annual California Community College Athletic Association State Championships.

The Giants will actually be sending 19 swimmers and divers -- 12 men and seven women -- to an event scheduled for May 1-3 at Santa Rosa Junior College. 

It's the largest group of state qualifiers in Briano's eight seasons as coach. Sequoias had three state qualifiers last season.

Preliminary swimming heats begin at 9:30 a.m. each day, with finals starting at 4:30 p.m. March 1-2 and at 4 p.m. March 3. Diving finals for women's 1-meter and men's 3-meter are at 12:30 p.m. March 1, and the women's 3-meter and men's 1-meter at 12:30 p.m. March 2. General admission is $15 per day, while identified students, faculty, staff, seniors 60 and over, and children less than 12 admitted for $10.

"I was expecting the individuals but not necessarily the (three) relays. I was really happy we got in with those, too," Briano said. "It's been my goal to bring 32 because that would mean we had a full men's team and a full women's team. We're getting closer to that, and it's really exciting."

Sequoias' men will be represented by Brendan Meyer (Lemoore), Trent Regier (Kingsburg), Liam Henshaw (Golden West), Jackson Coon (Redwood), Guy Woodard (Golden West) and Ethan Solimon (Redwood) individually, and by Vinnie Sanchez (Golden West), Taylor Greene (El Diamante), Quinn Rea (Mt. Whitney), Jackson LoBue (Monache), Connor Rohman (Mt. Whitney) and Josh Mitchell (Redwood) as part of relays.

Meyer qualified in the 50 free, 100 free, 200 free, and as part of the 200 medley relay and 400 free relays. A freshman, Meyer has already drawn recruiting interest from several NCAA Division II colleges, but is hoping one more season at Sequoias will help propel him to a D-I offer. His dream is to swim for a school in the mighty Southeastern Conference, and he's put in the work to accomplish it.

"In the fall, even when it's like eight months out from our championship meet, we would finish practice and everyone would get out of the pool," Briano said. "But he would stay in the water and say, 'OK, give me one more set.' And I would have to write him a brand new set that he would do by himself at the end of practice every day all fall. He's a star."

Regier qualified in the 100 butterfly and as part of the 200 medley relay. Regier wasn't able to train in January and February because of a back injury, making his state berth even more impressive.

"He just came back and put in hard work from March on with a really positive and fun attitude," Briano said. "That guy just rode on his raw talent this year. I see significant drops in his times in the future when he's able to put in a full year of training."

Henshaw, Coon, Woodard and Coon are all qualified in the 1-meter and 3-meter diving. Sanchez and Greene are also members of the 200 medley relay, while Rea, LoBue and Rohman are part of the 400 free. Mitchell is an alternate on the 200 medley relay.

For the women, Azulema Ayon (Exeter), Kenzie Hyder (Porterville) and Reannon Herrera (Porterville) qualified individually, while Savannah Gates (Hartland Charter/Lindsay), Mikenna Curtis (Dinuba), Lauren Pelayo (El Diamante) and Gracie Rivas are going as part of relays.

Ayon will compete in the 50 free, 100 fly, 200 fly and 200 free relay.

"Azul is a beast. She's one of the most aggressive competitors I've ever met," Briano said. "She's similar to Brendan in that she's just an absolute alpha. She was a leader in our weight room, but she would also go home and lift more weights because she knew if she could build up her strength, that it would translate to the water. And it absolutely did."  

Hyder qualified in the 100 free, 200 free, 500 free and 200 free relay.

"She just has an extra level of competitiveness that's required in order to go all the way," Briano said. "I know that when she gets into the environment of state, she's going to be able to compete at that level. She's gonna pressure herself to keep up with them and to lead them, too."

Herrera qualified in the 1-meter and 3-meter dives. Curtis and Pelayo round out the 200 free relay team, with Gates and Rivas as alternates.

All of the above -- and many more -- contributed to the Giants' men and women sweeping the Central Valley Conference championship meet April 17-19 at Clovis Community College.

With Meyer winning the 50 free (21.44 seconds) and the 100 free (46.98) individually, and being a member of the first-place 200 medley (1:36.23), 800 free (7:25.20) and 400 free (3:14.82) relays, Sequoias' men captured 13 of the 22 events while rolling up 2,118 points. Clovis finished a distant second with 1,242 points.

Gates was first in six total events -- the 200 individual medley (2:30.0), 50 breast (33.90), 100 breast (1:12.44) and 200 breast (2:39.02) individually, and as a member of the 200 free (1:50.16) and 400 medley (4:32.62) relays -- to lead the Giants women to 18 first-place finishes overall and 1,788 points, Merced was second with 1,465 points.

Sequoias received at least one individual top-eight finish from all 20 of its men and all 14 of its women who entered the event.

"I think collectively they were really focused mentally at conference and leading into it," Briano said. "I was just very impressed with how they carried themselves. They came in with a goal, and they attacked it. They have an understanding that every single person on the team plays a role. Whether you are first place or 18th place, you are scoring."

Regier was the men's team's only other double individual champion, capturing the 50 fly (23.02) and 100 fly (51.67). His 50 fly time broke the school record of 24.15 set by Caleb Peltzer in 2023.

Regier was also a member of the winning 400 medley (3:40.58) and 200 medley (1:36.23) relays. Dylan Hunt (Central California Connections Academy/Hanford), Sanchez and Rea joined Regier on the 400 medley, while Sanchez, Greene and Meyer were also on the 200 medley relay.

Individual men's conference titles were also earned by Aiden Ahlmeyer (Golden West) in the 1,650 free (19:47.66); Rea in the 200 IM (2:01.57); Henshaw in the 1-meter dive (209.50 points), Sanchez in the 100 back (55.33) and Coon in the 3-meter dive (215.75 points).

In addition to Meyer, the winning 800 free relay featured Rea, Sanchez, Rohman, while the winning 400 free relay also had Rea, Rohman and LoBue.

Silver medal performances for the men were turned in by Rohman in the 500 free (4:58.45) and 200 free (1:49.80), Sanchez in the 50 back (25.82), Greene in the 50 breast (27.58) and 100 breast (1:01.50), Meyer in the 50 fly (23.52) and 100 fly (53.29), LoBue in the 50 free (22.10), Woodard in the 1-meter dive (180.45), Regier in the 100 back (58.39), Henshaw in the 3-meter dive (206.0), Rea in the 200 back (2:01.70) and Hunt in the 200 breast (2:20.12).

The women's team had a pair of triple individual winners.

Ayon's trifecta came in the 50 fly (27.06), 50 free (25.71) and the 100 fly (1:03.01).

"I knew she could win all those events and she did awesome," Briano said. "But her times, I think she's going to do a little better at state because she was feeling a little sick at conference. So I'm looking forward to what she can do at state."

Hyder tripled up in the 500 free (5:36.23), the 200 free (2:00.39) and the 100 free (55.55).

"She had some breakthroughs that she's been shooting for for two years, particularly in the 200 free," Briano said. "She's been very frustrated that she couldn't get under a 2:01 for like more than a year. And at conference she finally did it. It was like a tearjerker moment because it was like overcoming the plateau that she didn't know if she ever would."

Ayon and Hyder joined forces on winning relays with Pelayo and Gates in the 200 free (1:44.81) and 200 medley (1:59.32); with Sierra Hodson (Tulare Western) and Gates in the 400 medley (4:32.62); and with Curtis and Pelayo in the 400 free (3:53.41). The 800 free relay of Pelayo, Rivas, Myranda Rodriguez (Mt. Whitney) and Curtis also struck gold in 8:59.43.

Women's individual champions also included Pelayo in the 50 back (29.89), Hodson in the 100 back (1:07.85) and Herrera in the 3-meter dive (182.75).

Second-place finishes were earned by Kallysta Cox (Strathmore) in the 50 breast (35.07), 100 breast (1:14.34) and 200 breast 2:39.75); Herrera in the 1-meter dive (169.10) and the 200 free relay team of Curtis, Rivas, Hodson and Autumn Gibson (Lemoore) in 1:50.16.

Sequoias' divers competed at the Northern California Championships on April 12 in Santa Rosa in a meet that also determined conference placing. Henshaw was second in NorCal in the 1-meter (209.5) and third in the 3-meter (206.0) for the men, who also had Coon place second in the 3-meter (215.75) and seven in the 1-meter (164.25), Woodard place third in the 1-meter (180.45) and eighth in the 3-meter (157.05), and Solimon place eighth in the 1-meter (154-90) and 14th in the 3-meter (100.90). For the women, Herrera was sixth in NorCal in the 1-meter (169.10) and sixth in the 3-meter (182.75), while Pelayo was 17th in the 3-meter (129.95 and 20th in the 1-meter (122.40).

Also scoring for the Giants' men individually at conference were Connor Bruton (Mt. Whitney), Noah Fridlund (Summit Charter/Porterville), Daniel Landucci (Porterville), Isaac Maillard (Mt. Whitney), Jared Ojeda (Monache) and Landis Sanchez (Mission Oak), Mitchell and Solimon. All placed in the top eight at least once.

For the women, Makaira Chavez (Selma), Eliana Salazar (Tulare Western), Yazmyn Sanchez (Harmony Academy/Strathmore), Curtis, Gibson, Rivas and Rodriguez also scored points individually, each placing top seven at least one.

"Our main goal is to continue improving and not to stay stagnant between conference and state," Briano said. "To go better times and put up better diving scores than we did at conference, and then just see where we land with the (state) standings."

Sequoias has produced a state swimming or diving champion in each of the past three seasons, with Easton Farmer winning the men's 1-meter dive in 2024, Joshy Peters striking gold in the men's 100 free in 2023 and Jillian Lambert placing first in the women's 50 free in 2022.