Alta Loma girls and Aquinas boys claim CIF Southern Section Division 4 swimming titles

WALNUT - The Aquinas High School fight song echoed across the Mt. San Antonio College Aquatic Center on Thursday night.

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The Falcons’ boys swimming team delivered strong performances throughout the championship meet, allowing them to overcome a disqualification in the 200-yard medley relay and capture the CIF Southern Section’s Division 4 boys swimming championship.

It marks the school’s first section title in an aquatic sport. Aquinas finished the evening with 206 points, 51 points ahead of Hemet.

The mastermind behind this historic moment is Loren McCoy, who also runs the Victory Aquatics club program in San Bernardino. McCoy took over the Aquinas swimming programs a few years back and guided the girls to a Division 4 runner-up finish last year.

“We have been looking forward to this,” McCoy said. “They’re exalted because they are humble and did what they needed to do. We had a few surprising things happen with disqualifications, but we moved forward. In the end, we’re very blessed and thrilled.”

The disqualification in the medley relay cost Aquinas 44 points, but the Falcons regrouped and swept both of the freestyle relays. Xavier Hatcher-Sifford, Dallas Acosta, Landon De La Torre and Owen Bonadinman joined forces to take the 200 freestyle relay in 1 minute, 30.40 seconds. Hatcher-Sifford, Zarek Cabral, Aaron Virgen and Orion Castro prevailed in the 400 free relay (3:25.93).

Hatcher-Sifford also was a standout individually, as he finished second in both the 50 freestyle (21.21) and 100 freestyle (48.02).

“I’ve been working for moments like this my whole life,” said Hatcher-Sifford, a freshman. “It’s cool to see how far we’ve come.”

Izay Cabral finished fourth in the 100 freestyle (48.89), while Virgen placed fourth in the 100 butterfly (55.57) for the Falcons.

Two years ago, Bonadinman was the only Aquinas boys swimmer who qualified for the CIF Southern Section’s Division 4 finals.

“It’s amazing, and I can’t believe this moment is happening,” said Bonadinman, now a junior. “It’s taken three years of hard work for me, and an entire season for us coming together as a team. This is a moment I never could have dreamed of two years ago.”

Alta Loma’s girls team cruised to victory Thursday. The Lions finished the meet with 257 points, 107 points better than California. .

Four of the Lions - seniors Carly Berzins, Angelina Cinquemani, Molly Kochel and Skylar Eddy - have experienced this feeling before. The quartet helped the water polo program claim back-to-back section titles when they were freshmen and sophomores.

“Bringing another championship plaque back to Alta Loma and getting a third ring is a great way to finish things off,” Kochel said.

Kochel, who is headed to Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, claimed the girls 100 backstroke title (1:00.95) and also placed second in the 200 individual medley (2:15.83). Berzins (Long Beach State) was second in the 200 freestyle (1:57.35) and finished fourth in the 100 freestyle (54..95). and Cinquemani (Hawaii), placed sixth in the 50 freestyle (25.64) and seventh in the 100 freestyle (56.71).

Alta Loma also swept the freestyle relays en route to the title. Cinquemani, Eddy and Berzins teamed with Camlynn Johnson to win the 200 relay (1:44.50). Cinquemani, Kochel, Johnson and Berzins was the lineup for the winning 400 relay team (3:50.62). The Lions also were fifth in the 200 medley relay (2:02.65), with Kochel, Kendall Lonzo, Eddy and Johnson swimming the legs.

Lions coach Kristin Rodriguez said the return of former coach Brian Herbelin was instrumental to the team’s success this season.

“When I was off coaching the water polo teams, he was working on the swimming part,” Rodriguez said. “It’s an exciting moment, especially for the seniors. It’s also very emotional. They were talking about today being the last bus ride. I’m going to miss them.”

St. Jeanne de Lestonnac junior Emory Vorndam successfully defended his title in the boys 100 freestyle (46.22) and also claimed the championship in the 200 freestyle (1:40.76). Vorndam was swimming in Division 4 consolation finals races just two years ago.

“I’m so thankful for everyone at my school supporting me, and I’m extremely proud to be representing my school,” Vorndam said. “I’ve worked hard to improve everything about my swims. I’m happy to get a chance to show everyone how much I’ve improved.”

Citrus Hill sophomore Brooke Wiley made history Thursday, as she became her school’s first girls swimmer to win a section title. Wiley brought home the championship in the 100 butterfly (1:01.12) and also placed third in the 200 individual medley (2:17.08).

Vista Murrieta freshman Aiden Abalos became the second boys swimmer in his school’s history to claim a section championship. Abalos held on down to the stretch to win the 200 individual medley (1:58.86) and placed third in the 100 breaststroke (1:00.50).

“It was intense near the end because I really couldn’t feel my legs,” Abalos said about his win in the 200 IM. “I thought I was about to lose, but I just kept pushing. I was able to see him (Rosemead’s Austin Ly) coming, and that really motivated me to go faster.”

The Hemet boys team’s second-place finish is the best in program history. The Bulldogs also had to overcome a disqualification during the 200 medley relay to claim their runner-up plaque. Hemet collected 38 valuable points at the end of the competition as Jude Smith, Jacob Martinez, Tristan Connell and Evan Marshall teamed up to finish second in the 400 freestyle relay (3:27.83).

Western Christian was fifth in the boys standings. Hudson Rosdil was a standout, placing second in the 100 backstroke (55.55) and fifth in the 200 freestyle (1:48.54). The Lancers also were third in the 200 medley relay and fourth in the 400 freestyle relay.

Arrowhead Christian Academy finished third in the girls standings. Juliette Early was second in the 50 freestyle (24.45) and tied for second place in the 100 freestyle (53.51). The Eagles also finished second in the 200 medley relay and 200 freestyle relay.

Loma Linda Academy was fifth in the girls standings. Myla Benggon placed second in the 100 backstroke (1:02.09) and also was fourth in the 200 individual medley (2:18.06). Benggon also led the Roadrunners to a third-place finish in the 200 medley relay.

Orange Vista’s Mikaela De Guzman finished second in the girls 100 breaststroke (1:11.16) and fourth in the 50 freestyle (25.55).

Woodcrest Christian’s Lauren Rodriguez was third in the girls 100 breaststroke (1:11.41) and sixth in the 200 freestyle (2:05.87).

Arrowhead Christian’ Academys Ethan Hekman was third in the boys 100 backstroke (56.39) and sixth in the 50 freestyle (22.47).

West Valley’s Sasha Rubin finished fourth in the boys 500 freestyle (4:54.39) and fifth in the 200 individual medley (2:01.76).

Santa Rosa Academy’s Natalie Flores had fifth-place finishes in the girls 500 freestyle (5:35.88) and 100 backstroke (1:04.75).

Other Inland swimmers with top-five finishes Thursday night were Chino’s Maximillian Hernandez (fourth, boys 100 backstroke); Ontario’s Benedetta Di Marco (fifth, girls 100 butterfly), Elsinore’s Addisyn Dwelley (fifth, girls 200 freestyle) and Moreno Valley’s Gage La Pante (fifth, boys 100 freestyle).

The boys 400 relay teams from Elsinore and Chino placed third and fifth, respectively, while Arrowhead Christian’s boys medley relay team finished fourth.

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This story was originally published May 8, 2026 at 1:31 AM.