All-County boys swimming team, swimmer of the year
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ALL-COUNTY BOYS SWIMMING TEAM 2026
BOYS SWIMMER OF THE YEAR
Andrew Maksymowski, Northwood, Senior
A driving force deeply ingrained within Andrew Maksymowski attracted him to the relays.
Whether it was the early-season Loyola Invitational, the CIF-SS Finals or racing through an injury at the CIF State Championships, the Northwood swimmer always seemed ready to anchor a relay.
Why? The relays offered Maksymowski another chance to lead his teammates.
“It makes me really happy that I get to set an example and be a role model for the younger generation,” he said. “It’s huge that I’m given this opportunity to lead one of the best teams in California, and the best public school in California.”
Maksymowski’s leadership and speed again pushed Northwood toward the top of leaderboards. For his efforts, he is The Register’s Orange County boys swimmer of the year for 2026.
The senior, who is committed to USC, led Orange County in 200 and 500-yard freestyles and earned All-County honors in the 200 individual medley and 100 freestyle.
His biggest accomplishments, however, might have been on the relays.
Maksymowski anchored Northwood’s 200 and 400 freestyle relays to All-County status, including a state-leading time in the 400.
“He was our leader from Day 1,” Northwood coach Alex Nieto said of Maksymowski, a four-year swimmer at the school. “He showed his teammates what that standard looked like.”
At the CIF-SS Division 1 final, Maksymowski dove in second behind Santa Margarita for his anchor and blazed an eye-popping 43.09-second split to bring the Timberwolves to the wall first in 2 minutes, 58.81 seconds.
Maksymowski exchanged a high-five with a teammate before splashing the water.
He delivered a similar performance at the Loyola Invitational in March. With Northwood trailing by a body-length entering the anchor, he split 43.37 to lead the Timberwolves to the victory.
At state, Maksymowski suffered an IT band strain in the finals of the 500 free but in the next event he split a 19.71 anchor in the 200 free relay to help Northwood finish second.
“My team needed me,” he said. “I tried to step up as much as I possibly could.”
Northwood finished 2.5 points behind Santa Margarita in a bid to defend its state title. The Timberwolves also were second to the Eagles in team points at CIF-SS Division 1 finals.
Maksymowski swept the 200 and 500 freestyles for the third consecutive year in Division 1.
His winning touch in the 200 free of 1:34.70 paced the county, set a personal best and ranks him No. 3 in Orange County history.
He won the 500 free in a county-leading 4:22.85.
His All-County time in the 200 individual medley (1:49.36) was a lifetime-best while his 100 free (44.22) was close.
But for Maksymowski, leadership mattered the most. He relished leading team cheers and motivating teammates.
He credits Nieto and his parents Gabbie and Steve for his growth in the area. He credits his teammates for their acceptance and support.
“It’s a team effort,” Maksymowski said. “As long as I give my 100 percent effort, I know everyone around me is going to give their best as well.”
COACH OF THE YEAR
Dean Crow, Foothill
In his fourth season, Foothill coach Dean Crow molded a roster that finished second at the CIF-SS Division 2 championships.
The Knights won the 200 freestyle relay (1:25.94) and placed second in the 400 free relay (3:10.23) en route to scoring 149 points. They edged Buena by six points for their best finish at CIF since winning Division 2 in 2018.
“The guys got fired up and we had incredible drops,” Crow said of the section finals. “They all did great.”
Crow pointed to Victor Trijsburg as an example of the improvement. The senior finished 16th in the 500 free with a 4:51.01, about a nine-second improvement from the Crestview League finals.
In the 200 medley relay at CIF, Foothill finished eighth with a 1:38.19, almost 2.5 seconds faster than league finals.
Crow blended a roster that featured swimmers who compete in club with several athletes who focus on water polo. Junior Ezra Nelson, who concentrates on water polo, emerged as a strong sprint freestyler and relay anchor.
ALL-COUNTY TEAM
(All distances in yards)
200 medley relay: Santa Margarita (Sam Zhou, Sr., Taylor Thongintra, Jr., Darren Nguyen, Sr., Bennett Korner, Sr.) 1:30.34; Northwood (Liam von Schonfeldt, So., Zachary Zhang, Sr., Eli Siniak, So., Michael Wang, So.) 1:32.24-PCL
200 freestyle: Andrew Maksymowski (Northwood, Sr.) 1:34.70; Michael Wang (Northwood, So.) 1:37.17; Inyoung Kim (El Toro, Sr.) 1:37.22-SVL
200 individual medley: Peter Vu (Fountain Valley, Sr.) 1:48.60; Andrew Maksymowski (Northwood, Sr.) 1:49.36
50 freestyle: Connor Ohl (Newport Harbor, Sr.) 19.90; Bennett Korner (Santa Margarita, Sr.) 20.20; Nolan Baker (JSerra, Sr.) 20.22
100 butterfly: Sam Zhou (Santa Margarita, Sr.) 48.35; Holden Lee (Edison, Sr.) 48.80
100 freestyle: Connor Ohl (Newport Harbor, Sr.) 44.08-SL; Andrew Maksymowski (Northwood, Sr.) 44.22
500 freestyle: Andrew Maksymowski (Northwood, Sr.) 4:22.85; Jay Hickman (Villa Park, Sr.) 4:24.53
200 freestyle relay: Santa Margarita (Tyler Lee, Jr., Adam Cuthbert, Sr., Carson Eich, Sr., Bennett Korner, Sr.) 1:21.60-OC-D1; Northwood (Michael Wang, So., Eli Siniak, So., Max Chen, Fr., Andrew Maksymowski, Sr.) 1:21.65
100 backstroke: Holden Lee (Edison, Sr.) 49.08; Bennett Korner (Santa Margarita, Sr.) 49.14
100 breaststroke: Ethan Lim (Corona del Mar, Jr.) 54.85; Taylor Thongintra (Santa Margarita, Jr.) 54.99; Peter Vu (Fountain Valley, Sr.) 54.99; Elonzo Santos (Mater Dei, Jr.) 55.02
400 freestyle relay: Northwood (Michael Wang, So., Liam von Schonfeldt, So., Max Chen, Fr., Andrew Maksymowski, Sr.) 2:58.81; Santa Margarita (Adam Cuthbert, Sr., Jeffrey Chang, Jr., Tyler Lee, Jr., Bennett Korner, Sr.) 3:00.40
Diving: Braeden Valenzuela (San Juan Hills, Sr.) 551.15; Charles Bentley (Capistrano Valley, Fr.) 450.95
All-County legend: OC-Orange County record; D1: CIF-SS Division 1 record; PCL: Pacific Coast League record; SVL: Sea View League record; SL: Sunset League record
Note: Diving selections based on CIF-SS division and CIF State finals.
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This story was originally published June 9, 2026 at 8:53 AM.