Sierra’s Tolman advances to consolation finals in two events at first CIF state swim meet

Weakened by the flu and his preparation for a meet still two months away, Scott Tolman arrived at the CIF State Swimming and Diving Championships unsure if he’d make it to Saturday’s finals.

His coach didn’t have much confidence, either.

However, stunning shows of speed have become commonplace for Sierra High School’s record-setting junior.

Tolman qualified for Saturday’s consolation finals in two events, solidifying his place in school, state and Sac-Joaquin Section history.

He finished 15th in swimming’s signature sprint event – the 50-yard freestyle – with a time of 21.44 seconds. He advanced to the consolation final by laying down a personal-best 21.28 during Friday’s preliminaries.

Tolman won the consolation final in the 100 breaststroke, summoning a personal-best 56.08. He came into state seeded ninth with a time of 56.28 but fell into the consolation final with a 56.82 during Friday’s preliminaries.

Ripon Aquatics coach Erik Zador was impressed by his weakened warrior. He trains Tolman almost exclusively, and the two tailored his workouts for last weekend’s section meet in Lodi.

They also began preparations this week for the Futures Championships in Mount Hood, Ore., in late July and a run at a qualifying time for the Olympic Trials.

State never even entered the equation.

Zador said Tolman was “tired and beat up” before his first swim, a condition made worse by the flu and a set of taxing long-course workouts.

“I’m proud of him,” Zador said. “He is swimming with pure heart. He exceeded my expectations.”

Tolman was one of three Stanislaus District athletes to qualify for the first high school state championship at the Clovis Olympic Swim Complex.

Joining him were Ripon freshman and Ripon Aquatics teammate Ty Wells and Pitman junior Natasha Sondeno, both of whom wrapped up their seasons Friday.

Sondeno finished 16th in the girls’ 1-meter dive competition with a season-best score of 411.5.

Wells set a personal mark in the 100 butterfly (51.5) but did not advance to Saturday’s final rounds.

This story was originally published May 23, 2015 at 7:40 PM with the headline "Sierra’s Tolman advances to consolation finals in two events at first CIF state swim meet."