CONCORD — Foothill swimmer Luka Mijatovic made it look easy.
The sophomore took first place in the 500-yard freestyle in record-breaking fashion at the North Coast Section Championships on Saturday in Concord. He touched the wall in 4:14.17, breaking the NCS 500 freestyle record previously held by former Northgate swimmer Alexei Sancov, who finished in 4:17.17 in 2018.
Mijatovic finished 11 seconds faster than second-pace finisher Ethan Wang and nearly broke the national high school record of 4:12.87 set by Santa Margarita Catholic Grant Shoults in 2016.
“From the beginning I wanted to take charge, get the lead and just maintain it the rest of the way to try to get that record,” Mijatovic said. “The goal of this meet was to break that record and I’m glad I got to do it.”
Mijatovic also took first place in the 200 freestyle with a time of 1:34.44 and helped Foothill place second in the 400 freestyle relay (3:03.93). He won both the 200 and 500 freestyle races at the 2024 NCS championships as a freshman.
Last year, Mijatovic shined at the CIF state championships at Clovis West High when he took first place in the 500 and second in the 200 freestyle. He will be looking to capture state titles in both events next week.
“I’m trying to keep that hungry mentality and try and get it done again,” Mijatovic said.
DOUGHTERY VALLEY JUNIOR BREAKS NCS RECORD
A year after Dougherty Valley’s Songrui Wu took home two NCS titles, the junior found a way to do the same this year while etching in the NCS record books.
Wu won the 200-yard individual medley for the second year in a row, finishing in 1:45.47. He broke the seven-year NCS record previously held by Amador Valley’s Chris Jhong, who finished the 200 IM in 1:45.51.
“It’s really fun to have people to race here at NCS,” Wu said. “I just said, ‘Let’s break some records and do some fast swims.’”
Wu came in first in the 100 backstroke with a time of 47.47.
AMADOR VALLEY SWIMMER OVERCOMES INJURIES TO WIN NCS TITLE
It’s been a long season for Amador Valley sophomore Rylee Hutchinson.
Hutchinson has dealt with injuries all season and had an up and down regular season.
But Hutchinson overcame this year’s adversity and shined in a big moment on Saturday.
The USC commit won the 200-yard freestyle, touching the wall in 1:50.90. She beat out Foothill’s Mckinley Scobie and Carondelet’s Elisabeth Butler, the meet’s top two qualifiers, to take the NCS crown.
“This just means a lot,” Hutchinson said. “I’ve had a rough season, so just coming out with the win was really nice.”
CAMPOLINDO FRESHMAN SHINES
Stella Canoles established herself as a rising star on Saturday.
The freshman won the 50 freestyle (22.90) and the 100 backstroke (49.40) while helping Campolindo place second in the 200 freestyle relay.
“I’ve worked really hard this summer and I’m just so excited because my coaches have been really awesome in helping me get to where I am today,” Canoles said. “It was a really cool experience and I’m just having a great time.”
Canoles said she was nervous entering Saturday’s finals, but when the time came to deliver, that’s exactly what she did.
“I think I handled (the pressure) pretty well today,” she said. “I do way better when I’m not going out there nervous.”
WATER POLO PLAYER WINS NCS TITLE
Ellis Culleton usually does most of his work in the pool during the fall when he’s playing for Campolindo’s elite water polo program, but in his first season on the swim team, the sophomore showed he could be just as good at competitive swimming.
Culleton won the 50 freestyle with a time of 20.91, edging out top qualifier Simon Li by .9.
“This was a big dream of mine,” Culleton said. “I had to sacrifice a lot of time and miss a lot of swim practices. I can’t go to state finals because I’m going to senior nationals for water polo. But switching between two sports has been really fun. One sport always helps the other.”
DE LA SALLE CAPTURES FOURTH STRAIGHT, CAMPOLINDO GOES BACK-TO-BACK
The dynasty continued for De La Salle.
The Spartans captured their fourth consecutive NCS team title, accumulating 316 points to finish ahead of Foothill, which had 204.
“We got the hardest working group of kids I’ve ever seen,” De La Salle coach Tom Johnson said. “People think of swimming as an individual sport, but this is a team and they perform like a team. They perform for each other and they’re just an amazing group of guys.”
Junior Blake Hill took first place in the 100 butterfly with a time of 48.92. Matthew Nakayama, Finn Sepic, Jed Johnson and Charley Wilson helped De La Salle win the 200 freestyle relays as the Spartans finished in 1:23.39 ahead of second place Las Lomas.
Campolindo’s girls team won its second consecutive and third NCS team title in four years, totaling 262 points to finish ahead of San Ramon Valley (250).
Canoles had Campolindo’s only first-place finishes. The Cougars came in second in the 200 medley and freestyle relays.
OTHER LOCAL WINNERS
– San Ramon Valley senior Raya Mellott won the 200 IM (2:00.72) and the 100 breaststroke (1:01.25). Mellott is committed to swim at the University of Virginia.
– In the paralympic 100 freestyle, Liberty’s Olivia Bell won the 100 freestyle with a time of 1:26.54. Bell also won the 50 freestyle with a time of 33.92.
– San Ramon Valley freshman Daniela Linares Danzanos won two events on Saturday. She captured the 100 butterfly title with a time of 54.43. She later won the 100 backstroke clocking in with a time of 54.49.
– Granada’s Brooke Bennett placed first in the 500 freestyle with a time of 4.50.50.
– Campolindo senior Ethan Taylor won the 100 breaststroke (54.69), beating out California’s Rostik Khilkon (55.10).
