The562’s coverage of Millikan Athletics for the 2025-26 school year is sponsored by Brian Ramsey and TLD Law.
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Wednesday night’s Moore League dual meet at Millikan delivered a full slate of races, with Long Beach Poly and Millikan each showcasing strong performances across both varsity squads. Millikan girls’ captured the win over the Jackrabbits, but Poly beat the Rams on the boys’ side.
Girls’ Varsity
Coming off a tough loss to Wilson last week, Millikan flipped the script in dominant fashion, rolling to a 103–45 victory over Long Beach Poly.
The Rams made a clear statement in their return to the pool, with a strong bounce-back performance.
“I think we really stepped it up today,” said Millikan Girls’ Head Coach Mike Carillo. “After Wilson last week, we were really just hoping that we could find the good parts of our swims and make sure we’re really trying to get the best out of our team.”
Millikan asserted themselves early on, setting the tone with strong performances across multiple events, opening the meet with a win in the 200 medley relay.
However, the closest race of the day by far came in the 50-yard freestyle, where, in a thrilling finish, Millikan’s Madelyn Huber edged out Poly’s Sequoia Newman in the final yards to get the win by just five hundredths of a second, finishing with a time of 26.64.
“We overall just had a lot of good swims,” said Carillo. “Maddie Huber in the 50 really showed up for us. We didn’t win everything, but in those cases, we were right there, coming in second, third or fourth. Those are the ones that kind of stick out for us.”
Millikan had three athletes with multiple top finishes: Karina Ruiz, Sienna Ramirez and McKenna Rosenberg, who all had big performances, coming away with three wins in their respective events and relays.
For Poly, Phoebe Kuo and Kayla Nguyen each contributed two first-place finishes to help contribute some valuable points for the Jackrabbits. Kuo finished first in both the 200 IM and the 100 fly.
“I felt really good. The 200 IM is an event I haven’t really been swimming, but I feel like right now our goal as a team is focusing on qualifying and seeding higher for CIF,” said Kuo. “Even though we weren’t able to get the win, I just feel like at this point in the season we’re focusing on improving what we need to work on before league and the postseason.”
For both Poly and Millikan, team culture and camaraderie have been a strong point of emphasis, especially nearing league finals and CIF.
“It takes a whole team. We have 45–50 girls, and it takes multiple people stepping up as leaders. We have a lot of great athletes who show those qualities,” said Carillo.
“Even though we weren’t able to get the win today, I feel good about the way we performed and how supportive our team is of each other. Cheering and encouraging each other just makes us go faster,” said Kuo.
Both teams will be back in action next week at league prelims and finals.
“I think we just need to be ready at any point and give every race all you’ve got,” said Carillo. “Preparing mentally not only on race day, but in the days leading up, just making sure you’re ready to go.”
Boys Varsity
On the boys’ side, it was a different story, with Poly controlling the meet from start to finish, winning every event in a 123–47 victory over the Rams.
“Top to bottom, I thought we swam excellently. Our guys are swimming fast, it looks clean, it looks good, everyone’s getting sharp,” said Poly Head Coach Ishmael Pluton.
The Jackrabbits dominated throughout the meet, led by strong performances from Townsend Kato, Lucas Jue and Mateo Vasquez.
Kato and Jue led the way with a meet-high four wins each. Kato took first in the 50 and 100-yard freestyle events while also contributing to victories in the 200 medley and 200 freestyle relays. Jue won the 100 butterfly, 200 freestyle and also swam on Poly’s winning 400 freestyle relay and the 200 medley relay teams.
Jue, a Louisville commit, has been a standout for the Jackrabbits since his freshman year.
“Lucas is always producing. I can put him in almost anything, and he could win it. He’s a very reliable swimmer for us,” said Coach Pluton.
Freshman Mateo Vasquez also delivered a strong performance, winning the 200 IM and the 500 freestyle.
“It’s been so much fun to see him grow throughout the season. He’s stepped up in a lot of ways, and that 500 freestyle and 200 IM were great swims for him,” said Pluton.
Despite Poly’s overall control of the meet, Millikan had several standout performances, led by Dominic Hamberson’s second-place finish in the 500 freestyle and Maddux Phan’s strong swim in the 200 IM.
The Rams also picked up consistent scoring through Zavier Velasco, Avery Paul and Drew Amaro Vidrio, who contributed across both individual events and relays.
Outside of individual performances, both teams are continuing to lean on their strong team culture as the postseason approaches.
“The guys have bonded to be a super tight-knit and supportive team,” said Pluton. “Even at practice, everyone’s joking and laughing and just really having fun with each other. It’s one of the things that makes Poly the amazing place it is.”
Despite the light atmosphere, the Jackrabbits’ main focus is staying sharp and prepared for league prelims and finals, which are less than a week away.
“You could focus on all kinds of goals and outcomes at things like these dual meets, but we like to stay focused on the tiny details that make us faster, because those can sometimes be the difference makers later in the season,” said Pluton.
As the season winds down, both teams turn their focus toward league prelims and finals, with postseason spots on the line.
Girls’ Varsity Race Winners
200 Medley Relay: Millikan (Ruiz, Ramirez, Fisher, Rosenberg), 1:55.56
200 Freestyle: Kayla Nguyen, Poly (2:02.40)
200 IM: Phoebe Kuo, Poly (2:09.06)
50 Free: Madelyn Huber, Millikan (26.64)
100 Butterfly: Phoebe Kuo, Poly (1:00.89)
100 Free: Kayla Nguyen, Poly (56.35)
500 Free: Mckenna Rosenberg, Millikan (5:26.41)
200 Free Relay: Millikan (Ruiz, Rieng, Huber, Ramirez), 1:44.79
100 Backstroke: Mckenna Rosenburg, Millikan (1:05.41)
100 Breaststroke: Sienna Ramirez, Millikan (1:06.62)
400 Free Relay: Poly (Nguyen, Nagle, Newman, Kuo), 3:51.35
Boys’ Varsity Race Winners
200 Medley Relay: Poly (Jue, Parramore-Dawson, Churchill, Kato), 1:42.20
200 Free: Lucas Jue, Poly (1:43.92)
200 IM: Mateo Vasquez, Poly (2:12.47)
50 Free: Townsend Kato, Poly (23.32)
100 Butterfly: Lucas Jue, Poly (51.19)
100 Free: Townsend Kato, Poly (51.51)
500 Free: Mateo Vasquez, Poly (5:08.27)
200 Free Relay: Poly (Oatey, Gomez, Greenwood, Kato), 1:34.07
100 Backstroke: Elan Martinez, Poly ( 1:01.96)
100 Breaststroke: Elijah Livingood, Poly (1:04.19)
400 Free Relay: Poly (Oatey, Greenwood, Peck, Jue), 3:28.09
