Coming off a personal best and meet record, Megan Wang wasn’t sure she could go much faster at the CIF-State swimming championships.
“I was so scared,” Wang said. “All these girls are so fast. I figured, ‘They’re going to come after me.’ ”
Turns out, the Newbury Park senior was the big fish in the state’s biggest pond.
Wang won the CIF-State championship in the girls 100-yard backstroke on Saturday, May 16, in 52.27 seconds at the Clovis Olympic Swim Complex.
One week after swimming a personal-best 52.86 to defend her CIF-Southern Section Division 2 in her signature event, Wang delivered in the biggest moment, dropping more than half a second.
“I said, ‘I’m going to learn from this race,’ ” Wang said. “I’m going to try nailing my turns, nailing my finish, nailing my underwaters. I did all of that.”
Wang is Newbury Park’s first CIF-State swimming champion. She’s the second county swimmer to win the girls 100 back, joining Ventura’s Tea Laughlin in 2017. CIF-State swim competition began in 2015.
Despite swimming the best split in both the opening 50 yards and finishing 50 yards, the UC San Diego commit said she was “spooked” throughout the race.
“I could see (the other swimmers) when I was under water,” Wang said. “I could see where everyone was at, they seemed a lot closer than they were. So I was a little spooked.”
Even though she outswam the entire field — except for second place Daniela Linares Danzos of San Ramon Valley — by more than a second and a half.
Linares Danzos, the only swimmer in the field who had finished above Wang in Friday’s prelims, was out-touched by 0.33 seconds in the final.
“I kept my eye on her and boom,” Wang said. “I don’t know how I got it, but I just did.”
Wang still hasn’t wrapped her mind around being a state champion.
“When I won, I didn’t really think that I won,” Wang said. “It was just so out of place. It was crazy. I guess I haven’t really realized it yet.”
The 22 team points Wang earned with her victory placed Newbury Park tied for 39th in the meet.
Newbury Park coach Sebastian Ayala was confident Wang would triumph.
“It was honestly amazing,” Ayala said. “She was in the lead the entire time. … I don’t want to say it was neck and neck, but it was a great race and overall a great performance by Megan.”
It was a full-circle moment for a senior, who developed at Buenaventura Swim Club.
“It means a lot because it just shows how much work pays off,” Wang said. “If you really, truly have fun and you have confidence and believe in yourself, you can do so many more things. It taught me that lesson.”
Wang is the Newbury Park’s second individual female state champion in a matter of months.
Wrestler Madison Black won the CIF-State girls wrestling championship at 130 pounds on Feb. 28.
The two state champions know each other well.
“I’m in her class this year,” Wang said. “I sit next to her in AP (Government).”
Other local results
Local schools sent seven individuals and one relay team to Clovis.
Pacifica senior Abigail Tamayo was 20th in the girls 50-yard freestyle in 23.62. Agoura senior Sofija Gelev was 23rd in 23.76. Gelev was also 32nd (51.08) in the 100 free in Friday’s prelims.
Nordhoff senior Melina Seider was 27th in the girls 500 free in 5:01.32.
While Wang won the girls 100-yard backstroke, a local also placed in the boys race. Nordhoff junior Flynn Van Auker was 17th in the boys 100-yard backstroke in 50.70.
The two points Van Auker earned placed Nordhoff tied for 92nd in the meet.
Oak Park senior Elliott Drottar was 27th in the boys 50 free in 21.01 and 37th in the boys 100 free in 46.87.
Oak Park junior Pablo Ingrum was 28th in the boys 200 free relay in 1:41.15 and 32nd in the boys 500 free in 4:35.40.
The Oak Park team of Drottar, Mason Espin, Ingrum and Trey Williams was 31st in the 400 free relay in 3:11.75.
Joe Curley is a staff writer for The Star. He can be reached at joe.curley@vcstar.com. For more coverage, follow @vcspreps on Twitter/X, Instagram/Threads, Facebook, Bluesky and TikTok.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Newbury Park senior Megan Wang swims to a CIF-State title
Reporting by Joe Curley, Ventura County Star / Ventura County Star
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