It was an eventful afternoon at Long Beach Poly on Friday, as the Jackrabbits hosted their annual swimming meet against rivals Wilson, offering a strong preview of some of the top athletes ahead of the Moore League finals. The meet had everything we’ve come to expect between the two, with a loud, packed natatorium and a tight finish as Wilson completed the sweep with wins on both sides.
Girls’ Varsity
You couldn’t have scripted a better finish to the battle between the two girls teams, as Wilson reclaimed the dual-meet crown over Poly in the final event of the evening. The Bruins edged out an 86-84 victory—ironically the same score as last year, when Poly also won in a meet that came down to the 400 freestyle relay.
“This was truly a full team effort by our lady Bruins. The energy on deck at Poly was incredible and our athletes competed with Bruin pride from start to finish,” said Wilson coach Kristin Barth. “Our athletes showed up ready to race with grit and heart across all three levels, and I’m really proud of this group and how they represented Wilson girls’ swim.”
It’s hard to argue with the full team effort from Wilson, as the Bruins managed a team win despite Poly claiming victories in nine of the 11 events. Out of 41 total scoring spots in the meet, Wilson had 25 different athletes or relays place high enough to contribute points.
“What stood out most was our team depth,” Barth said. “We had swimmers constantly, stepping up to finish second, third, and fourth in multiple events. That kind of depth is what builds a strong, competitive program.”
The Bruins had one individual win from Taylor Williams in the 50 freestyle, as she finished in 26.04 to beat teammate Matilda Davison-Lakey by eight-tenths of a second. Wilson also won the 200 freestyle relay, as Reese Haga, Frankie Garcia, Kylie Kennedy and Williams swam a 1:46.65 to beat Poly’s A relay by just over a second.
Poly impressively had three different athletes win multiple events, as Nikki Bickel, Phoebe Kuo and Jemma Nagle each won two races while also swimming legs on Poly’s two relay wins. Bickel picked up wins in the 200 IM and 100 breaststroke, while Kuo won the 100 butterfly and 100 backstroke. Nagle added freestyle victories in the 200 and 500.
The trio contributed to Poly’s 400 freestyle relay win alongside second-leg swimmer Kayla Nguyen, who also picked up an individual win in the 100 free. Bickel, Kuo, Nagle and Sequoia Newman also won the 200 medley relay to open the meet.
Boys’ Varsity
It was a much more dominant affair on the boys’ side, as Wilson won seven of the 11 events and swept the top three spots in six different races to complete a 115-55 win over Poly.
“You can kinda do the math beforehand, but the boys still have to show up and do what they have to do in order to get the job done and they did that,” said Wilson coach Brandon D’Sa. “In fact, they exceeded expectations in lots of ways which was amazing, and what more can you ask for as a coach?”
Wilson of course had strong performances from a handful of its Open Division water polo players, as Keegan Abing, Vaughan Baker and Kai Bramble each picked up individual wins. Abing took home the 500 freestyle, while Baker won the 200 IM and Bramble won the 100 freestyle.
Aidan Conrey was the only Bruin to win multiple individual events, as he took home the 50 freestyle and 100 butterfly back-to-back. Conrey was also the second leg on Wilson’s 200 and 400 free relays, helping the Bruins earn another pair of wins alongside Bramble, Abing and Jesse Knight.
D’Sa also had praise for a handful of athletes who contributed with big placements, including Scott Daniels, who dropped six seconds in the 500 free to finish second while also earning a PR in the 100 backstroke. Fernando Rejon achieved a sub-50 time in the 100 free to place second, while freshman Fox Weiss had strong third-place finishes in the 100 free and 200 IM.
“When you talk about building a dominant swim program or even a good swim program you need that depth, and it’s really cool to watch especially for a team that’s a lot younger,” D’Sa said of the contributions. “There’s a lot of underclassmen so to see these guys rise to the top and accept the challenge is amazing.”
Poly had another standout performance from Lucas Jue, who captured wins in the 200 freestyle and 100 backstroke. Elijah Livinggood had a win in the 100 breaststroke while Poly’s Jue, Ezra Parramore-Dawson, Jeremiah Estrada-Ramos and Meteo Gomez started the evening with a win in the 200 medley relay.
Girls’ Varsity Race Winners:
200 Medley Relay – Poly (Kuo, Bickel, Newman, Nagel), 1:52.75
200 Free – Jemma Nagle, Poly (2:00.77)
200 IM – Nikki Bickel, Poly (2:13.46)
50 Free – Taylor Williams, Wilson (26.04)
100 Butterfly – Phoebe Kuo, Poly (59.10)
100 Free – Kayla Nguyen, Poly (55.56)
500 Free – Jemma Nagle, Poly (5:31.64)
200 Free Relay – Wilson (Haga, Garcia, Kennedy, Williams), 1:46.65,
100 Backstroke – Phoebe Kuo, Poly (1:00.51)
100 Breaststroke – Nikki Bickel, Poly (1:07.57)
400 Free Relay – Poly (Kuo, Nguyen, Nagle, Bickel), 3:41.18
Boys’ Varsity Race Winners:
200 Medley Relay – Poly (Jue, Parramore, Estrada-Ramos, Gomez), 1:41.66,
200 Free – Lucas Jue, Poly, (1:40.88)
200 IM – Vaughan Baker, Wilson (2:07.84)
50 Free – Aidan Conrey, Wilson (22.49)
100 Butterfly – Aidan Conrey, Wilson (54.19)
100 Free – Kai Bramble, Wilson (49.44)
500 Free – Keegan Abing, Wilson (5:02.63)
200 Free Relay – Wilson (Bramble, Conrey, Knight, Abing), 1:31.51,
100 Backstroke – Lucas Jue, Poly (50.34)
100 Breaststroke – Elijah Livingood, Poly (1:04.96)
400 Free Relay – Wilson, (Bramble, Conrey, Knight, Abing), 3:17.88
