Foothill Tech impresses at Ventura County Swim Championships

Luigirey Guce

Moments after the whistle was blown, Mikaela Clabaugh ’25 dives into an amazing start. Clabaugh, going up against other schools from Ventura County, attempts to have the fastest time out of all.

Chance Leandro, Reporter
March 26, 2023

On the cool evening of Thursday, March 16, the Foothill Technology High School (Foothill Tech) swim team faced off against rival teams in the Ventura County Swim Championships. After two days of qualifying, it was time for the finals. 

The boys’ team placed 11 out of 17 and the girls’ team placed an impressive fifth place, competing against larger schools such as Newbury Park High School and Ventura High School.

On the boys’ side, they placed 12th in both the 400-yard freestyle relay and the 200-yard medley relay events. They also earned seventh in the 200-yard freestyle relay. Lucca Postma ‘25 commented on this saying, “The team did good, especially in the relays … We were excited for the events and excited to swim.”

The girls also had an impressive relay, earning themselves second place in the 200-yard medley relay with a time of 32.5 seconds. They later swam again in the 200-yard freestyle relay, earning themselves third place. 

A massive bright spot for the girls’ team was Charlie Woo-Bloxberg ‘25, who placed first in the 200-yard freestyle championship with a time of 1:55. She then backed it up with another first place, this time in the girls 500-yard freestyle with a time of 5:06. 

Competing in a backstroke event, the Foothill Tech swimmer slices through the chilly water as parents and students cheer from the sidelines. The swimmer used their powerful arms and legs to propel them quickly to the wall and had the ability to make swimming look easy. (Luigirey Guce)

Mikaela Clabaugh ‘25 was another massive contributor to the team, placing fifth in the girls 200-yard IM with a time of 2:24. 

Cythania Hu ‘26 also contributed massively to the team earning second in both the girls’ 100-yard butterfly with a time of 1:02 and the girls’ 500-yard freestyle. When asked about her events Hu said, “I’m most proud of my 500-yard freestyle because I dropped time and placed second.”

On the boys’ side, Nathaniel White ‘23 was a great help earning himself 14th in the 100-yard breaststroke and 14th in 200-yard IM. 

Hu commented on the girls’ team saying, “I thought the team overall did great … All three of the girls’ relays made it to championship finals and we got medals on two of them.”

The Dragons will compete again on Wednesday, March 29, against Villanova Preparatory School and St. Bonaventure High School. 

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