Stanislaus District looks to make waves at CIF state swim meet

Erik Zador never lost a high school race as a four-time Sac-Joaquin Section swim champion at Stagg High School in the mid-1990s.

However, his seasons always finished with the section meet, leaving an unbeaten, unmatched regional champion to wonder just how fast he really was.

Was he the fastest in the state?

“It would have been cool to experience it,” said Zador who, up until about a year ago, still swam with the Masters program at Modesto Junior College.

Today, his athletes don’t have to worry or wonder. The best of the best will get their answer this weekend at the CIF State Swimming and Diving Championships at the Clovis Olympic Swim Complex. The meet begins Friday with swim preliminaries and the final for boys diving. On Saturday, the meet concludes with swimming finals and girls diving.

Last season, the Stanislaus District sent three to the inaugural state championships, including two of Zador’s proteges with Ripon Aquatics: Sierra dynamo Scott Tolman, the reigning All-District Swimmer of the Year; and Ripon’s Ty Wells, then just a freshman.

The third was Pitman diver Natasha Sondeno, who flipped that experience into a Division I scholarship from San Jose State.

Sondeno is headed back to state after finishing second at the Sac-Joaquin Section finals. So, too, is another strong Ripon Aquatics contingent, a group that seemingly gets larger by the day. Five swimmers qualified at last weekend’s Sac-Joaquin Section meet at Tokay High, including four in two individual events: Gregori brothers Christian (200 freestyle, 100 butterfly) and Andrew Britton (200 individual medley and 100 breaststroke), Downey sprinter Kyle White (50 and 100 freestyles) and Tolman (200 individual medley), the section champion in the 100 breaststroke.

Wells also qualified in the 100 breaststroke with a runner-up finish, and Sunday, he learned he would advance in the 100 butterfly as well.

And now there’s a sixth Ripon Aquatics swimmer headed to state – Ripon’s Daniel Esenwein, who qualified with a “state consideration” time in the 100 backstroke.

“They know it’s a great experience,” Zador said, “and they couldn’t be happier that they get to go alongside their teammates that they know have worked so hard.

“They will swim fast, no doubt about it, but I want them to enjoy the experience. It’s the experience they’ve worked so hard for – and they deserve it.”

Tolman, who has earned All-America honors for the second consecutive season, has the best chance at a medal in the breaststroke. The Cal Baptist-bound senior won the consolation heat at state last spring, posting the fifth-fastest time of the day with a 56.08.

One year later, he’s primed to become the Stanislaus District’s first state medalist.

Tolman clocked a 55.58 at sections, the third-fastest qualifying time in the state. He trails leader and returning champion Hank Poppe of San Ramon Valley, who swam a 53.87 at the North Coast Section meet. Poppe, a 6-foot-7 specimen, has committed to Stanford.

“He knows whatever happens at state is just another experience he can take into college,” Zador said of Tolman. “That’s where his career will start. They are all capable of winning. There will be lots of talented kids there. It’s up to who is the most prepared and who wants it the most.”

Tolman is also seeded eighth in the 200 individual medley, six spots ahead of Andrew Britton, who qualified seventh for the breaststroke.

Older brother Christian Britton is seeded 10th in the 200 freestyle and 11th in the 100 butterfly. Wells is seeded 24th in the butterfly and fifth in the breaststroke.

White is seed 26th and 28th in the 50 and 100 freestyles. Esenwein is 34th in the 100 backstroke.

The Britton brothers will also swim in the 200 medley relay with Aidan Wong and Josh Harms. The four set the Modesto Metro Conference record in the event and shaved three seconds in two days at sections.

Oakdale’s Nate Van Cleave, Rhett Harrison, Jackson Metcalfe and Caden Nord qualified with a “state consideration” time in the 200 freestyle relay. The Mustangs are seeded 27th.

Sondeno finished second at the section dive finals with a career-high 427.95 program. She heads to state as a No. 14 seed, a stark improvement on her seed position (No. 20) and finish (16th) last spring.

This story was originally published May 19, 2016 at 10:43 AM with the headline "Stanislaus District looks to make waves at CIF state swim meet."