By Nick Pecoraro on SwimSwam
2024 CIF Los Angeles City Section Championships
- May 4th, 2024 (Swimming)
- LA Valley College
- Los Angeles, CA
- SCY (25y)
- Meet Central
- State Meet Info
- Results on Meet Mobile: “2024 City CIF SWIMMING & DIVING CHAMPIONSHIP”
Top Five Girls Team Scores
- Palisades/Granada Charter- 371.5
- –
- San Pedro- 278
- Venice- 167
- Grover Cleveland- 158
Top Five Boys Team Scores
- Granada Charter- 379
- Palisades Charter- 358
- Grover Cleveland- 355
- San Pedro- 195
- Taft- 155
At the conclusion of the 2024 CIF LA City Section Championships on Saturday, there was a tie for the girls section team title as both Palisades and Granada Charter teams earned an identical 371.50 points. In essence, the Granada girls defended their team title while the Palisades also improved from their 2023 runner-up finish. On the boys’ side, Granada Charter was able to separate themselves to comfortably win the team title with 379 points, their first LA City section team title since 2001. Palisades was able to hold off Grover Cleveland for team runner-up by three points, 358 to 355.
Girls’ Highlights
Handily winning the girls 200 free for Palisades was freshman Alexis Burrell, clocking 1:56.60 for an intimidating lead over Canoga sophomore Rachael Pellegrini (2:02.05) and sister Claire Burrell (2:10.87). Alexis earned her second section title in the 500 free at 5:13.51.
Taft senior Claire Wu stormed to the top of the 200 IM final at 2:07.54, overwhelming Granada freshman Isabella San Jose (2:08.32). The pair faced off again in the 100 breast final, where San Jose avenged Wu for the section title, 1:04.75 to 1:06.15.
Sophomore Jordyn Hale of GALA won the 50 free final at 24.24, three-tenths ahead of Taft junior Selin Bilgi (24.59). Into the 100 free final, Bilgi would claim her own LA City section title at 54.21.
Hale was also spotted in the 100 fly final, placing third (1:00.89) behind Granada senior Lauryn Cha (59.97) and Venice freshman Elise Kao (58.74). Earlier in the meet, Kao was a member of Venice’s winning 200 medley relay (1:52.74).
Into the 200 free relay, Venice took out another relay win at 1:42.05, but not without a small fight from runner-up Granada (1:42.42).
Laces sophomore Iris Paek crushed the 100 back final at 1:00.59, more than a second over runner-up Granada junior Ava San Jose (1:02.57).
Finally getting a relay title was Granada, taking the 400 free relay win at 3:41.27. While Palisades finished second at 3:44.83, it was also the squad’s last effort to tie themselves with Granada for the team title. Venice settled for third place at 3:45.42.
Boys’ Highlights
Out of the 200 medley relay, the Grover Cleveland boys combined for a 1:37.49 to win the event by 5 seconds over Granada (1:42.50) and Palisades (1:42.73).
Granada sophomore Ryan Zheng easily won the 200 free at 1:44.72 by three seconds over Marshall’s Ryan Cervantes (1:47.32). In the same way, Zheng clocked 4:46.11 to dominantly win the 500 free, with Venice junior Nico Manzella taking second at 4:59.99.
In the 200 IM final, Taft junior David Abarbanel clocked 1:54.70 by 6 seconds over Granda sophomores Ethan Gonzalez (2:00.62) and Anthony Kirchen (2:02.65). Abarbanel’s winning time came within striking distance of the LA City section record of 1:53.41 from 2016.
Crushing the 50 free final in a sub-22 effort of 21.48 was Granada senior Dominic Vargas. Freshman teammate Ryan Cha (22.61) finished three-tenths behind Cleveland senior Edward Dansirimitri (22.35). Vargas also stormed the 100 free final in the lone sub-48 swim of 47.88.
The speedster also led off 21.77 to aid Granada’s winning 200 free relay (1:29.62), accompanied by Felipe Knight (22.08), Cha (22.90) and Zheng (22.87).
The lone swimmer to break 50 seconds in the 100 fly final was Eagle Rock’s Kenneth Devis at 49.77, with Cleveland senior Caleb Shin (52.21) and Marshall’s Cervantes (52.63) closing out the top three. Flexing his front-stroke versatility, Devis also won the 100 breast final at 57.04 ahead of 200 IM champ Abarbanel (57.96), 50 free runner-up Dansirimitri (58.91), and 200 IM runner-up Gonzalez (1:01.67).
Shin flipped over to a third-place 100 back finish at 53.65, a tenth behind runner-up Cleveland sophomore Aiden Shih (53.55). Taking the section title was Granda junior Jean Darbo at 52.19.
The Granada boys sealed their team title with their 400 free relay win at 3:16.72, but not without Cleveland attempting to challenge them at the finish with a 3:16.85.
Girls Swim Championships:
Congratulations to Granada Hills and Palisades who tied for the #CIFLACS title. The first ever time in our history.
Granada Hills wins its eighth championship and Palisades claims its 31st!
pic.twitter.com/QuIJqvb1Zp
— CIF LA City Section (@CIFLACS) May 5, 2024
Boys Swim Championships:
Congratulations to Granada Hills who wins its second #CIFLACS title and first since 2001!
pic.twitter.com/yVMYUDHWVA
— CIF LA City Section (@CIFLACS) May 5, 2024
Read the full story on SwimSwam: Palisades & Granada Charter Girls Make History and Share 2024 CIF-LA City Section Team Titles