There is always a first time in everything. For Danielle Nowaski, there is also a third time as well.
The West Hills junior will be making her third trip to the state swimming championship meet this weekend as one of five Grossmont Conference representatives at the elite competition.
The meet will take place Friday, May 18, and Saturday, May 19, at the Clovis Olympic Swim Complex at Clovis West High School in Clovis.
There is always a first time in everything. For Danielle Nowaski, there is also a third time as well.
The West Hills junior will be making her third trip to the state swimming championship meet this weekend as one of five Grossmont Conference representatives at the elite competition.
The meet will take place Friday, May 18, and Saturday, May 19, at the Clovis Olympic Swim Complex at Clovis West High School in Clovis.
Nowaski qualified in two events after recording the third best time in the 500-yard freestyle (4:59.64) and the fourth best time in the 200-yard freestyle (1:51.19) at last Saturday’s San Diego Section Division II championship meet at Granite Hills High School.
This will be the second consecutive year that Nowaski will compete in the both the 200 and 500 distances at the state meet, and the third straight year she will compete in the 500.
She placed 10th at last year’s state meet in the 500 after placing 12th in the event as a freshman.
She enters this year’s state meet with the 17th best time in the 500 and the 21st best time in the 200. Her motivation this weekend in Clovis will be to improve on those times in the prelims and hopefully the finals.
Grossmont’s Laney Hall, meanwhile, will make her debut on the state’s largest stage as a freshman after winning the Division I girls title in 1:50.09 — a time that places her 12th in the state field.
Other East County state meet qualifiers include Steele Canyon sophomore Jack Werland in the boys 200 individual medley (1:55.66), Valhalla sophomore Taylor Moultrie in the girls 100 butterfly (57.40) and Steele Canyon senior Nathan Cummins in boys diving competition (285.15 points).
Werland finished third at last weekend’s Division I swim finals while Moultrie finished third in the Division II field. Cummins placed third in the Division I boys diving finals.
State of mind
This is the fourth annual state swim/dive championship meet.
Diving competition will take place Friday, starting at 8:30 a.m., in the boys field and Saturday, starting at 8:30 a.m., in the girls field.
The state swim prelims are scheduled to take place Friday, starting at 2:30 p.m., followed by the finals on Saturday, starting at 2:30 p.m.
There are approximately 50 San Diego Section qualifiers for this weekend’s state meet.
Three other section swimmers will join Nowaski in the 500 freestyle: Bonita Vista junior Julissa Arzave (10th, 4:56.30), Torrey Pines sophomore Rylee Gordillo (16th, 4:59.55) and Torrey Pines sophomore Cameron Collins (21st, 5:00.99).
This is the third consecutive year that Arzave, this year’s Division I champion, will compete in the 500 event at the state meet.
Among section qualifiers, La Costa Canyon senior Dylan Delaney has the top-seeded time in the boys 50 freestyle (a section record 20.35) while Bishop’s junior Pierce Dietze is seeded third in the boys 100 freestyle (44.88).
Each event included 40 entrants from across the state.
CIF finals
•Steele Canyon finished sixth in the Division I boys field with 140.5 points.
•Valhalla finished seventh in the Division II girls field with 144 points and eighth in the boys field with 103 points.
•Among top individuals, Granite Hills senior Austin Dickman finished second in the Division I boys 100 butterfly (51.54) while Valhalla junior Brenna DeLegge placed runner-up in the Division II 100 freestyle (52.78).
•In the diving competition May 11 at San Diego Mesa College, West Hills junior Devin Hunt topped the Division II boys field with a score of 301.30 points while West Hills senior Gina Cazares placed third in the Division II girls field with 275.85 points.
•Granite Hills sophomore Ashley Orr finished second in the Division I girls dive field with 214.55 points while Granite Hills sophomore Reece Robles finished fourth in the Division I boys field with 252.80 points.
•Torrey Pines swept both the Division I boys and girls team titles at last weekend’s CIF swim finals, posting the top score of 535 points in the girls meet and 355 points in the boys meet.
•Cathedral Catholic won the Division II girls team title with 353 points and also won the boys team title with 344 points.
For more information on this weekend’s state swimming championships, visit the website at www.cifstate.org.
