As the spring sports season begins, here is a look back at how the winter teams and athletes finished their seasons.

Swimming and Diving

The Chargers finished off the varsity swimming and diving season with a first place title for the boys and a second place title for the girls at the state tournament, held at the Barney Natatorium at the Academy on Feb. 20 and 21. “State went very well for the team,” Sara Vianco ’18 said. In 2014, the boys came in second and the girls in sixth. Along with the impressive team titles, the Chargers also racked up a remarkable number of individual records. Most notably, Anthony Kim ’16 broke his own state record for the 100 Yard Butterfly with a time of 48.59 seconds. Kim, Jason Hou ’15, Scott Theiler ’15, and Raine Min ’15, the 200 Yard Freestyle Relay team, shattered the state record with a new time of 1:26.51. Other first place wins included the boys 200 Yard Freestyle by Kim, the girls 100 Yard Freestyle by Vianco, and a boys 200 Yard Medley Relay win by Hou, Jordan Lee ’17, Kim, and Theiler. The diving team also contributed to the successful results in the state tournament. Miranda Martinez ‘14 placed 4th in the girls division. The Chargers are already looking toward state next year for a win, a very achievable goal given the improvements the team has made in the past year and the fact that the team is very young, Vianco said.

Wrestling

Going to early morning practices, cutting weight, and spending long hours traveling to meets: the life of a wrestler is difficult and requires a lot of dedication. For the Chargers, this commitment has paid off. The Academy wrestling team took first in the district tournament, a feat the Chargers hadn’t accomplished since 2004. The team moved on to the state tournament held Feb. 20 and 21 at the Santa Ana Star Center, where Andrew Wilson ’16 took 3rd, T.J. Kim ’17 took 5th, and Ben Peterson ’15 took 3rd in each of their respective weight classes. In just one year, the team improved from 17th place in state to 11th place this year. The Chargers fully intend to continue to work hard next year, and are looking like a force to be reckoned with. “Next year this team has a whole lot of potential,” Wilson said.

Basketball

The varsity boys team battled it out in the district tournament with games on Feb. 23 and Feb. 25 but fell just short of a shot at the state tournament. After beating Moriarty, the Charger boys lost to St. Pius and Grants in heated games, placing third in the district tournament. The Charger girls met a similar fate, advancing past Moriarty in the first round but then losing to Grants. Jeremy Langsfeld ’15 was named to the All-District team, and Carlos Cdebaca ’15 was named District Player of the Year. On the girls team, Sophie Long ’17, Alli Leggott ’17, and Téa Salazar ’16 were named to the All-District team. According to Sheyla Corral ‘16, the girls were faced with challenges because many were injured and switched out for other players, making it difficult for the players to get in sync with each other. Still, both the boys and girls basketball teams are looking forward to next year, hoping to improve from this year.

Featured image courtesy of Marcella Stewart. Swimmer boys (left to right) Ian Conley ’17, Jordan Lee ’17, Calvin Stewart ’18, Whit Vinson ’16, Jordan Buttner ’17, and Lucas Ridgeway ’15 proudly show off their first place trophy.