Santa Monica All Of A Sudden A Threat At State Women's Swim Meet

Risa Akatsu leads Santa Monica College into the 2023 CCCAA Swimming and Diving Championships.

May 2, 2023

Last year, Santa Monica College's Risa Akatsu was the Swimmer of the Meet at the state championships. Akatsu is back and she's bringing reinforcements as the Corsairs are ready to challenge 3-time, defending champion Orange Coast while Santa Barbara City, Palomar, and Sierra also are in the potential mix at the 2023 3C2A Swimming and Diving Championships. The state meet once again will be held at East Los Angeles College's Swim Stadium Thursday-Saturday, May 4-6.

SMC has set the state's top seed times in all five relay events (200 points up for grabs). In individual swims, Akatsu returns to defend her titles in the 200 individual medley (top seed 2:10.05) and 200 freestyle (second seed), but chose not to swim in the 200 butterfly ('22 gold medalist). Teammate Ema Kilmauskas established top seed for the 400 IM (4:39.25) and was #2 in the 200 butterfly. Corsair Wilma Henriksson is tops in the 100 breaststroke (1:05.17) and she is second by .70 of a second to De Anza's Courtney Seljeseth in the 200 breaststroke (2:25.10).

Other encouraging signs for Santa Monica was Emily Lester at #4 seed in the 50 freestyle and #5 in the 100 freestyle and Reva Reignier third in the 100 backstroke.

Santa Barbara, the Western State Conference champions ahead of SMC, is paced by Isabella Urlando, who broke three conference records at the WSC finals. Urlando, the younger sister of U.S. men's record holder in the 100 backstroke--Luca Urlando, is top seed in that event (54.84) and could break the state meet record of San Mateo's Erica Vong (54.46 in 2017). She is also #1 in the 200 backstroke (2:02.47) and #2 in the 100 butterfly.

Urlando's time in the 100 fly (55.34) and Palomar top seed Emma Hart (54.25) both are faster than the state meet record (55.54). Hart is also fastest this year in the 200 butterfly (2:04.25) and third in the 200 IM. Another Comet is a top seed in the 50 free sprint in Alessandra Fleischman (24.08), who will be challenged by defending state champ Jillian Lambert of Sequoias and Santa Rosa's Ruby Gonzalez, a fourth place finisher last year.

Another talented swimmer is El Camino record-setter Mia Park, who holds the state top times in the 100 (54.43), 200 (1:52.31), and 500 freestyles (5:02.89). Expect the 100 freestyle to be an absolute treat to watch as Park will try to hold off defending champ Camyrn Bussey (Sierra, 52.48), SBCC's Makenna Bloom (52.49) and Akatsu (52.53).

Orange Coast's Giselle Quinonez is back to defend her 1,650 freesytle title, but the top seed (18:05.35) may have her hands full with Allan Hancock's Emma Marsalek (18:05.95).

SoCal diving champion Lia Borja of OCC had the top point totals on the 1-meter board (247.05) and 3-meter board (237.90), but Long Beach City's Katie Juarez was right behind her on the high board (237.50) while Ventura's Allison Harris was second on the 1-meter (237.55) and third from the 3-meter.

Santa Rosa's Stanislava Holzhauser will challenge Akatsu in the 200 IM as she was .29 off the Santa Monica sophomore's time. Holzhauser is #2 in the 400 IM.

Release by Robert Lewis, State Meet SID for CCCAA/CCCSIA Executive Board member