Relays power Thousand Oaks High boys swimming team to CIF-SS Division 4 championship

Down by six points entering the final event, the Thousand Oaks High boys swimming and diving team made history.

The 400-yard freestyle relay team of Connor Overton, Luca Bazerkanian, Sean Henry, and Curren Mealiffe won in 3 minutes, 19.93 seconds, to lift the Lancers to the CIF-Southern Section Division 4 championship on Thursday at the Mount San Antonio College Aquatics Complex in Walnut.

"The relays won the meet," said Thousand Oaks head coach Craig Rond.

It was the first section title for the Lancers, who delivered Ventura County’s first CIF-SS championship since 2015 with 206 points. Laguna Blanca was second with 168.

Thousand Oaks is only the fourth county boys program to win a sectional title, joining Buena (1969), Newbury Park (1979, Division 3-A) and Rio Mesa (2015, Division 3).

Oaks Christian also won four titles in three different divisions from 2005 to 2010.

Rond first thought his team might have a chance to compete for the title when he saw the qualifying cards stacking up late in the season.

More: Ventura's Sarah Beckman wins two individual titles at Division 2 Swimming Championships

“Then we realized we had three strong relays and two of them were seeded first,” Rond said.

Rond, a 1982 Thousand Oaks graduate, previously coached the Lancers from 1996 to 2002.

“I thought we had a chance,” Rond said. “We started looking at the psych sheets and said, ‘Gosh we’re going to have to great swims.’ ”

Thousand Oaks opened the meet by winning the 200 medley relay in 1:43.45, behind the quartet of Henry, Keith Warner, Mealiffe and Overton.

It finished the meet by winning the 400 free relay. In between, the team of Bazerkanian, Thomas McDonough, Jonathan Martinez and Warner finished sixth in the 200 freestyle relay in 1:35.35.

The three relays, which provide double the team points, amassed 118 of the Lancers’ 206 points.

Overton and Henry were third (54.93) and fourth (56.01) in the 100 backstroke, respectively. Overton was also sixth (21.97) in the 50 freestyle.

“He just swam out of his mind,” Rond said of Overton.

More: Nordhoff's Quin Seider sets two records at CIF-SS Division 3 Swimming Championships

Henry and Mealiffe finished seventh (2:04.93) and ninth (2:05.97) in the 200 individual medley.

“Our 200 IMers did a wonderful job,” Rond said.

Tyler Valdez finished 12th (57.05) in the 100 butterfly, Bazerkanian was 16th (23.39) in the 50 freestyle, and Warner was 16th (1:07.38) in the 100 breaststroke.

Rond returned to Thousand Oaks after coaching water polo for 25 years, mostly at Cal Lutheran University.

“The whole dynamic to me trying to convince and teach water polo players that they could actually enjoy swimming,” Rond said. “I did a lot of teaching on how swim meets work, how to score points, what is your value. I really had to teach them the team dynamic of swimming.

“It’s a big puzzle.”

Other local top finishers

Moorpark junior Chloe Cheevers finished second in the girls 100 breaststroke in 1:07.17 and took third in the 200 IM in 2:15.38.

Santa Paula senior Lindsey Ramirez broke the school record, which was set in 1983, while finishing eighth in girls 50 freestyle in 26.61 and also took 16th in the 100 freestyle in 59.72. Ramirez starred for Cardinals water polo team and competed for the swimming team for the first time. She also set several school records in track and field during her high school career. Aubrey Phillips, Malia Deneef, Charlotte Powell and Ramirez set the Santa Paula record in the 200 medley relay, finishing 13th in 2:07.80. Ramirez, Deneef, Antonella Tapia and Powell placed 15th in the 200 freestyle relay in 1:53.60.

Ama Hewamadduma of Calabasas placed 12th in the girls 100 backstroke (1:10.82) and Taylor Credle was 14th in the 100 freestyle (59.44). Hewamadduma, Joelle McMorris, Madison Corman and Credle finished 10th in the 200 medley relay (2:04.36). McMorris, Elana Minoofar, Corman and Credle finished 14th in the 200 free relay (1:52.81) for the Coyotes.

Oxnard's Melanie Espinosa, Dalila Griscavage, Lola Bauer and Alexandra Partida placed 11th in the girls 400 freestyle relay (4:11.36).

Rachel Burns of La Reina placed 14th in the girls 500 freestyle (6:01.63) and 14th in the 200 IM (2:32.28).

Villanova Prep's James Keyser finished eighth in the boys 200 freestyle (1:52.53) and 12th in the 100 freestyle (50.30).

John Ou of Moorpark finished 17th in the boys 100 breaststroke (1:07.68).

This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Relays power Thousand Oaks High boys swimming team to CIF-SS Division 4 championship